Marguerite Yourcenar's Mishima: A Vision of the Void is an insightful and thought-provoking study of the life and work of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. Yourcenar analyzes Mishima's work in the context of traditional Japanese culture grappling with the modernization of Japan. She also examines Mishima's obsession with death and his eventual suicide.
Yourcenar argues that Mishima's work was deeply influenced by both Japan and the West. She notes that Mishima was drawn to Japanese aesthetics and literature, as well as to Western writers such as Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. Yourcenar argues that Mishima used these diverse influences to create his own unique and complex vision.
Yourcenar also argues that Mishima's obsession with death is a central theme in his work. She notes that Mishima was preoccupied with the tension between the beauty and fragility of life and the inevitability of death. Yourcenar believes that Mishima's eventual suicide was a tragic culmination of this tension.
Mishima: A Vision of the Void is a comprehensive and illuminating look at Mishima's life and work. Yourcenar argues that Mishima was a complex and contradictory figure, and that his work can be understood in the context of the modernization of Japan.
Praise:
"A brilliant and original study of one of the most fascinating and disturbing writers of our time." — The New York Times Book Review
"A must-read for anyone interested in Japanese literature or the history of ideas." — The Washington Post
Criticism:
"Yourcenar's analysis is sometimes marred by her own prejudices and blind spots." — The Times Literary Supplement
"The book is too long and too dense for the general reader." — The Guardian
Overall, Mishima: A Vision of the Void is a valuable contribution to the study of Mishima's life and work. It is a must-read for scholars of Japanese literature and anyone interested in the intersection of art and politics.
