- Paperback: 276 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books; 1st Vintage International Ed edition (1 July 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679762647
- ISBN-13: 978-0679762645
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 1.5 x 20.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 556,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Sound of the Mountain (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
Ogata Shingo is growing old, and his memory is failing him. At night he hears only the sound of death in the distant rumble from the mountain. The relationships which have previously defined his life - with his son, his wife, and his attractive daughter-in-law - are dissolving, and Shingo is caught between love and destruction. Lyrical and precise, The Sound of the Mountain explores in immaculately crafted prose the changing roles of love and the truth we face in ageing.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Yasunari Kawabata was born near Osaka in 1899 and was orphaned at the age of two. His first stories were published while he was still in high school and he decided to become a writer. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1924 and a year later made his first impact on Japanese letters with Izu Dancer. He soon became a leading figure the lyrical school that offered the chief challenge to the proletarian literature of the late 1920s. His writings combine the two forms of the novel and the haiku poems, which within restrictions of a rigid metre achieves a startling beauty by its juxtaposition of opposite and incongruous terms. Snow Country (1956) and Thousand Cranes (1959) brought him international recognition. Kawabata died by his own hand, on April 16 1972.
The Sound of the Mountain is translated from the Japanese by Edward G. Seidensticker (1921-2007), who was a prominent scholar of Japanese literature.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Planning a trip to Japan, I decided to read this novel, which I bought, never read and then lost back in the sixties. I soon realised why Kawabata won the Noble Prize. The understated style reminded me of Jane Austen, older and sadder and transported to a very different culture. The interplay of characters is fascinating and as the book develops, you develop a great sympathy for people who at the beginning seem to have little obvious attraction. By the end you feel sad to leave them. If you enjoy a subtle story and deep insight into human nature, don't miss this book.
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'Do you want to read this book?' is probably the question you are trying to find the answer to if you are reading this. Tricky one. Not as your first Kawabata novel, I would suggest...
Kawabata's writing style is somewhat unique. So little is revealed in the lines of text, it is left up to the reader to interpret deeper meaning. All you get at face value is the telling of everyday life, slow and without event or excitement, almost as if describing the world to a blind man. It is all very pleasantly told and reads well (despite Seidensticker, who by a notable lack of praise it seems is recognised as a not particularly good translator). But the fact that you have to fill in the blanks yourself, guessing emotions from people's reactions (unusual in a book, and if you're like me, needing some re-reading before enlightenment) means it is not for all. This applies to all Kawabata's work. There is more than a little imagination involved to get the full effect, although you are given some pointers. The bonus is that so much is left unsaid, the result becomes highly personalised. Adding in the effort required to see through the lightweight text to the much stronger imagery beneath, the task becomes highly rewarding. Probably why those who like their Kawabata book covet it so strongly.
Once you have deeply appreciated one Kawabata though, will you want or need more? The style stands out in part because it is so different. And some of the most notable phrases/observations are repeated in his other novels, reducing the effect (although again, not having read the original texts I do not know how far Seidensticker's wording is to blame).
There is a good chance you will want to stop and cling to one as a favourite. That is why I would recommend a different choice to start with. Despite good writing and the satisfaction bonus provided by all Kawabata works, the third factor (content) is unpleasing. It is the tale of an old man in post-war Japan, living in his run-down home with three generations of his family and disillusioned by his offspring, all of whom are (by the author's intent) extremely disagreeable. Only his daughter-in-law, Kikuko, provides a ray of light, but he punishes himself for his feelings toward her, which although only shown as affection, he thinks could run deeper if allowed. Failed marriages, abortions, and the recurring reminders of suicide as an option for all age groups are the theme for this tale of end of life dissatisfaction.
Yes, it is a good book, but you are deliberately presented with unlikeable characters. It would be wrong to call ANY Kawabata novel a 'feel good' story, since all end rather openly on hope alone, but because of its theme, this may reward less than others. If you are looking for life's bitterness or could be content holding on to Kikuko as the last thread of decency in a failing family line, this may be the one for you. More widely read and undoubtedly more appreciated is the masterpiece "Snow Country".
But then, I'm biased... I read that one first.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sound of the Mountain is about a Japanese family struggling to cope with internal changes that are a reflection of changes in society as a whole. The relationship between the elderly Shingo and his daughter-in-law Kikuko dominates the novel. In the figure of his daughter-in-law, Shingo begins to see the fate of a culture that is increasingly disowned by younger generations. The conduct of the Kikuko, in the face of change which threatens to obliterate her, stirs a longing in Shingo which in turn becomes the focus of her self-sacrificing conduct.
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