The Decay Of The Angel

Zusatztext

The dramatic climax of<i>The Sea of Fertility</i>tetraology takes place in the late 1960s. Honda, now an aged and wealthy man, discovers and adopts a sixteen-year-old orphan, Toru, as his heir, identifying him with the tragic protagonists of the three previous novels, each of whom died at the age of twenty. Honda raises and educates the boy, yet watches him, waiting.

Autorenportrait

<p>Yukio Mishima was born into a samurai family and imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body, and loyalty to the Emperor - the same code that produced the austerity and self-sacrifice of Zen. He wrote countless stories and thirty-three plays, in some of which he performed. Several films have been made from his novels, including<i>The Sound of Waves, Enjo</i>which was based on<i>The Temple of the Golden Pavilion</i>and<i>The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea</i>. Among his other works are the novels<i>Confessions of a Mask</i>and<i>Thirst for Love</i>and the short story collections<i>Death in Midsummer</i>and<i>Acts of Worship.</i><i>The Sea of Fertility</i>tetralogy, however, is his masterpiece. After Mishima conceived the idea of<i>The Sea of Fertility</i>in 1964, he frequently said he would die when it was completed. On 25 November 1970, the day he completed<i>The Decay of the Angel</i>, the last novel of the cycle, Mishima committed seppuku (ritual suicide) at the age of forty-five. <i>The Sea of Fertility tetralogy</i>, however, is his masterpiece. After Mishima conceived the idea of<i>The Sea of Fertility</i>in 1964, he frequently said he would die when it was completed. On November 25th, 1970, the day he completed<i>The Decay of the Angel</i>, the last novel of the cycle, Mishima committed<i>seppuku</i>(ritual suicide) at the age of 45.</p>

Weitere Details