Review- The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea tells the tale of a band of savage thirteen-year-old boys who reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call "objectivity." When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship's officer, he and his friends idealize the man at first; but it is not long before they conclude that he is in fact soft and romantic. They regard their disappointment in him as an act of betrayal on his part, and react violently.

Release date: May 31st 1994

Published by: Vintage 

Page numbers: 181

REVIEW: 

I have previously read and thoroughly appreciated Yukio Mishima's absolutely meticulous and profound play, Madame de Sade. Ever since then, I'd been looking forward to reading more of the author's works. So when a student of mine and I were discussing Mishima, we decided to exchange our books and that's how I happened to borrow a damaged but oh so precious copy of The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea.

A very thought-provoking read (which is no surprise whatsoever, coming from Mishima), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea is the story of Noboru, a thirteen year old who is different, yes, but also in an odd way, very relatable and true. When his mother Fusako decides to marry Ryuji; Noboru, number three in a group of invincible, explicative and dangerous young men, takes the information to the Chief of his group, who then decides Ryuji's destiny. Together, these young men make a plan so detailed and alarming that it's hard to believe yet easy to appreciate.

The various themes explored in this book come together to form a web of complexity. For a story that focuses on the life of a thirteen year old, it's a very mature, dark and deep read, but at the same time, there's something so true and raw about it that's it's difficult to not accept even the most unimaginable circumstances in it. As always, Mishima's incredible writing and mind-blowing story-telling make it an even better read.

I would definitely recommend The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea because it's full of simple complexities or complex simplicities, depending on perspective.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- Madame de Sade by Yukio Mishima

 Madame de Sade on Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this fascinating all-female drama, Yukio Mishima endeavors to explain the riddle of why the Marquis de Sade's wife, who had remained loyal to her husband throughout the years of his wild debaucheries and during his lengthy imprisonment, decided to sever their relationship once he had regained his freedom. "This play might be described as Sade seen through women's eyes," writes Yukio Mishima in his postface to the drama. "I was obliged to place Madame de Sade at the center and to consolidate the theme by assigning all the other parts to women. Madame de Sade stands for wifely devotion; her moth, Madame de Montreuil, for law, society and morality; Madame de Simiane for religion; Madame de Sans-Fond for carnal desires; Anne, the younger sister of Madame de Sade, for feminine guilelessness and lack of principles...."
Through its subtle dialog and finely drawn human contrasts, 'Madame de Sade' is a convincing evocation of period. Although the Marquis himself never appears in the drama, his presence is all pervasive.

This English text is by Donald Keene, a foremost translator of modern Japanese writing. The photographs are of scenes in the original Japanese production, staged in Tokyo. 

Release date: 1971

Published by: Tuttle Publishing

Page numbers: 108

REVIEW: 

I came across Madame de Sade at a local bookstore when they were having a huge sale. Something about the cover, the title and the synopsis really fascinated me, and so I decided to pick it up. Having sat on my shelf for almost a year and a half, I finally decided to read the book. Madame de Sade is originally a Japanese play written by Yukio Mishimi, and I read the English translation done by Donald Keene. 

The themes that interested me most when I bought his book were the fact that a Japanese writer wrote a play set in France and that it focused on feminism. I was pursuing my French Masters in literature with a research on feminism at that time, so I thought it to be the perfect fit. But even though I didn't get to the book back then, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it just as much as I did now. 

Madame de Sade actually follows Marquis de Sade, who never once appears in the play, but is somehow always present because all the women in it only talk about him. So we have his wife Marquise (translated as Madame for the English readers) de Sade, who is the epitome of a devoted wife until she learns to accept her husband for who he is. And then we have her mother, her sister, their maid, and two more women, who, in my eyes, were the most integral characters. From the summary, every woman of the five important ones represents something and eventually through the course of the play, it becomes very evident. 

I thought that the various themes were taken up brilliantly and uniquely in this play keeping both the individual mind-set and the socio-political scenario of France in the late 1700s in mind. So while on the one hand, there was a more subdued but strict atmosphere during the first two acts; on the other hand, there was also a more casual yet concerned one in the third act which takes place after the French Revolution. While the third act did seem to drag for a bit too long, the first two were very well made and thoroughly enjoyable.

This play is just beautifully done and it shows in the form of the crisp and intelligent writing. My copy also came with a few pictures here and there of the actual theatre performance by an array of wonderful Japanese actresses and that really helped me imagine the play better.  A true portrayal of the way society works, this play, in a subtle manner, gives a great glimpse into the way we are made to think, and that was the most wonderful thing about it. 

Review- Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar

Goodreads Summary:

Sachin Kundalkar started on his first novel at 20 and finished it when he was 22. The novel was Cobalt Blue, the story of a brother and sister who fall in love with the same man, and how a traditional Marathi family is shattered by the ensuing events – a work that both shocked and spoke to Marathi readers. 

“Thankfully, no one calls it a gay novel anymore. That term is so passé. Now about 12 years later, I feel the brother and the sister are not two people but masculine and feminine sides of the same person. And the book is thus, in turns, a feminine and a masculine monologue,” says the author.

REVIEW:

I came across this review of author Sachin Kundalkar's Cobalt Blue when I was searching for some absurdity-themed Marathi novels, and I was completely intrigued by the sound of it. Cobalt Blue may not have anything to do with absurdity, but it sounded so good to me. For quite some time now, I had my eye on the book, and I was excited to pick up and read the English edition of the Marathi novel translated by Jerry Pinto. Even though it's my mother-tongue, I am not the most comfortable reading in Marathi, and this book has really made me want to step out of my langue comfort zone and read the original. Somewhere, when I came across Cobalt Blue, I knew that the book would be amazing, and I can proudly say that it was just that- simply and purely amazing. There are many aspects of this book that can be contemplated over deeply and discussed thoroughly, but that would be lengthy and time consuming, so I will just write about its amazingness, taking into consideration the points I feel are the most important. 

What I loved the most about Cobalt Blue- and I'm being biased here- is that it's set in my very own, lovely and incredible city of Pune where there is a peaceful and easy coexistence of tradition and modernity. I loved exploring my own city through the book, and was astounded when a shop that belongs to a family friend was mentioned. The story takes place in a simple Maharashtrian family of two brothers Aseem and Tanay, a sister Anuja and their parents. Whilst here, I would like to stress on Jerry Pinto's retention (of which he speaks in the Translator's Note) of some Marathi terms that can be translated, but sound more authentic and convincing when used the way they are. I, for one, found it very normal and nice. The Joshi family open up a room in their house for a paying guest. That's when the person whose name we do not get to know until the very end (what admiration I have for Mr. Kuldarkar), but who plays the most significant role in the story, comes into the lives of Tanay and Anuja, who are fascinated by the carefree, dashing, independent and quirky personality of their paying guest. 

The first half of Cobalt Blue is a second person naration where Tanay directly addresses the paying guest, while the second half of the book is from Anuja's point of view where she narrates her journey with the paying guest. That brings me to another thing that I loved about the book, and that is the simultaneity of a heterosexual and a homosexual relationship. Although the two relationships are the focus of the book, sometimes, it seemed to me like the story was more about the Joshi family, wherein everyone knows one another, but no one really understands each other. It's so good that I can't even describe how well everything is done. That aside though, Cobalt Blue is not about discovering, accepting or exploring sexuality, it's about embracing it. In a very conscious and subtle way, the author keeps the family on one side entirely and the two love struck siblings on another side. The consequences of both the relationships are devastating and let me get one thing straight- I had been waiting to read a book like this for so long. A book where things left unsaid, remain unsaid. A book where things left undone, remain undone. It was astounding and so very amazing. 

There is something so intriguing and mysterious about Cobalt Blue that I wanted to read it so bad and once I began reading it, I didn't want it to end. But honestly, like I said before, I was waiting for a book like this and I'm more than glad I finally stumbled upon it. Seriously, Cobalt Blue has proved to me that Marathi literature is so precious and there are so many gems to be discovered. On a purely personal level, I don't like to shout out about the books that I loved and find special. But something about Cobalt Blue makes me want to take up the job of letting people know about its beauty and just thrusting the book (even if it's my very own and henceforth treasured copy) in their hands just so they know how beautiful it is. The story is amazing. The writing is amazing. The translation is amazing. The book is simply amazing. 

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