The Pleasures of Japanese Literature

From Publishers Weekly
Originating as five lectures, this elegantly written book by one of the West's leading authorities on Japanese culture constitutes a delightful introduction to that country's premodern literature for the general reader. "The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty." Thus a 14th century master of taste from whose essays Keene singles out what are for him the four salient characteristics of the Japanese sense of beauty: suggestion, irregularity, simplicity and perishability. The study deals, respectively, with Japanese poetry, fiction and theaterwhich Keene calls "one of the wonders of the world." Each chapter contains broad knowledge, sound appreciation and interesting insights. The reader learns, for example, why almost of necessity Japanese poems are short, and how Kabuki actors who impersonate women achieve what actresses cannot by aiming for "an abstraction of womanhood." Keene is currently at work on a multivolume history of Japanese literature, of which World Within Walls and Dawn to the West have already appeared. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
This short but delightful disquisition on Japanese literature, pointing toward some of the philosophical and aesthetic bases of Japanese personal and social attitudes, covers Japanese aesthetics generally and also poetry, fiction, and theater. Given Keene's reputation as an interpreter of Japanese literature, readers expect both accuracy and pleasure, and they will not be disappointed. Rewritten from lectures, the book requires no prior expertise and can be taken as an entree into the subject or just as a pleasurable commentary on a little-known literature. A brief list of suggested readings is given. Highly recommended. Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota, Duluth Lib.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Book News, Inc.
The production and design of this brief introduction to traditional Japanese culture for the general reader is as lovely as the writing is enjoyable and informative. Keene's deep learning illuminates his appreciation of Japanese cultural traditions, and demonstrates that these traditions can be understood by Western readers. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.


Review
"These graceful essays... answer many questions Western readers may have about pre-modern Japanese poetry, fiction, theatre, and aesthetics.... It is an excellent summing up for those familiar with Japanese literature and will entice those with some knowledge to read more." -- New York Times Book Review


The New York Times Book Review
These graceful essays . . . answer many questions Western readers may have about pre-modern Japanese poetry, fiction, theatre, and aesthetics. . . . It is an excellent summing up for those familiar with Japanese literature and will entice those with some knowledge to read more.


Book Description
Perhaps no one is more qualified to write about Japanese culture than Donald Keene, considered the leading interpreter of that nation's literature to the Western world. The author, editor, or translator of nearly three dozen books of criticism and works of literature, Keene now offers an enjoyable and beautifully written introduction to traditional Japanese culture for the general reader.The book acquaints the reader with Japanese aesthetics, poetry, fiction, and theater, and offers Keene's appreciations of these topics. Based on lectures given at the New York Public Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the University of California, Los Angeles, the essays -though written by a renowned scholar- presuppose no knowledge of Japanese culture. Keene's deep learning, in fact, enables him to construct an overview as delightful to read as it is informative.His insights often illuminate aspects of traditional Japanese culture that endure today. One of these is the appreciation of "perishability." this appreciation os seen in countless little bits of Japanese life: in temples made of wood instead of durable materials; in the preference for objects -such as pottery- that are worn, broken, or used rather than new; and in the national love of the delicate cherry blossom, which normally falls after a brief three days of flowering. Keene quotes the fourteenth-century Buddhist monk Kenko, who wrote that "the most precious thing about life is its uncertainty."Throughout the volume, Keene demonstrates that the rich artistic and social traditions of Japan can indeed be understood by readers from our culture. This book will enlighten anyone interested in Japanese literature and culture.


About the Author
Donald Keene, Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, has written, edited, or translated more than thirty books, many of them published by Columbia University Press. He has received numerous honors in both the United States and Japan, and was recently elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.


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The production and design of this brief introduction to traditional Japanese culture for the general reader is as lovely as the writing is enjoyable and informative. Keene's deep learning illuminates his appreciation of Japanese cultural traditions, and demonstrates that these traditions can be understood by Western readers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)


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