Yasunari Kawabata, Snow Country

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

36. Yasunari Kawabata, Snow Country. Translated by Edward G. Seidensticker.

A classic novel of Japanese literature, this book was cited as one of the reasons the author won the Noble Prize for Literature in 1968. The plot concerns a small hot-spring town in the mountains. A rich, lazy young man comes to visit several times over the course of a year or two, carrying on a relationship with a local geisha who is in love with him. The book has lots of very beautiful descriptions of landscapes- mountains in snow, fall leaves on the trees, bugs dying against a window in the summer; the translator even compares the novel to haiku- but not much plot. There are a lot of conversations where no one quite says what they mean, and most of the important developments take place in the subtext. That's interesting in some ways, but it's also very distancing, and I never felt very attached to the characters. On the other hand, this is a very short book, so if you want to try out a famous Japanese novel, it's definitely an easy read.

Comments

[erinlin.livejournal.com]

I thought The Old Capital, by the same author, was more interesting. I like the way the author uses languages in both books; you said it, it is like a haiku.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting. Sounds like I'll have to give him a second chance, then. Thanks! :)