Mishima was to be awarded Nobel Prize. What works of his I should read?

Mishima was to be awarded Nobel Prize. What works of his I should read?

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea or The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

Start with The Sailor who Fell with Grace from the Sea or Patriotism. Both are pretty short and are good examples of his style and it's blending of nationalism, violence and sex. If you like them, then read Temple of the Golden Pavilion and Confessions of a Mask. Save the Sea of Fertility for last.

Don't skip Temple, it's one of his best books.

Read the first 20 pages of "The Sailor...", then read the SparkNotes of the book and proceed according to this chart:

Are there more of this "How do i get into" author guides? they seem very useful. maybe post some?

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My aunt said she really disliked Murakami for writing so coldly. I gave her Mishima (Temple of the Golden Pavillion) to read. Did I do good or will feel chilly? I have never read Murakami.

I actually haven't read Mishima, but have read tons of Murakami and don't think he's at all cold. Maybe "straightforward" at worst? He tends not to mince words, but he does have a really strong underlying humanism. (Or maybe I'm just so understanding because I'm immersed in the whole zen and wabi-sabi thing.)

>To see human beings in agony, to see them covered in blood and to hear their death groans, makes people humble. It makes their spirits delicate, bright, peaceful. It's never at such times that we become cruel or bloodthirsty. No, it's on a beautiful spring afternoon like this that people suddenly become cruel. It's at a moment like this, don't you think, while one's vaguely watching the sun as it peeps through the leaves of the trees above a well-mown lawn? Every possible nightmare in the world, every possible nightmare in history, has come into being like this.

Are you trying to give him the short version, so he spares himself the time reading it?

>The weapon of my imagination slaughtered many a Grecian soldier, many white slaves of Arabia, princes of savage tribes, hotel elevator-boys, waiters, young toughs, army officers, circus roustabouts. . . . I was one of those savage marauders who, not knowing how to express their love, mistakenly kill the persons they love. I would kiss the lips of those who had fallen to the ground and were still moving spasmodically.

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I started with "Temple" and really loved it. Despite themes of feeling inhuman and the like, there was a very human sense of violence, disgust, beauty, and sex

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Why does one jump from the complete early works to the best of late work or from the best of early work to the complete late work? Is there some rule that says I must consume one half complete and one just the best?

Mishima is just as "cold" as Murakami, user. You should've given her The Sound of Waves since that one is a bit more emotional.

Complete Stories worth it?

like others, i started with "temple" and it appealed to me because of the whole dostoyevsky vibe the protagonists had. if you're a young male, "temple" is probably the finest place to start.

my wife, as this user suggested, started with patriotism and really enjoyed it. if you're a woman, maybe start with this (?)

otherwise, start with "the sailor..."

it was confusing for me as well.

what it's saying if you want to consume all of nabokov, then choose option I. if you just want the best of the early stuff, choose option II. follow one of them until they end up at III/IV, at which point you choose between III and IV (regardless of the initial I/II choice).

or, you could just start with III if you really don't have time.

I started out with Spring Snow, and that got me to reading the rest of the Sea of Fertility.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Forbidden Colors and Confessions of a Mask are all good. Patriotism is good, but come on, it's a plot-less short story. It's hardly the masterwork people make it out to be.

sea of fertility is definitely my favorite of his but i feel like you should read it last, or at least have a good idea of what mishima is about before going into it

The Sailor
The Temple

People being told that the Sea of Fertility is challening. It's just dense, is all. Spring Snow and Runaway Horses are the best that Mishima has written.

But nonetheless: Always start with Confessions. Not with Temple, not with Sailor, start with Confessions.

The Way of the Samurai

Isn't it crazy how no one knows where Koga is?

It pains me that Mishima is such a talented writer but that he wastes most of the talent in making his books mostly mouthpieces for his garbage philosophy. He only wrote two books I liked all of, that being Spring Snow and The Sound of Waves. The latter is missing any element of his philosophy though it isn't and especially great novel, I have read plenty better Japanese works. Spring Snow I actually love however. Removed from his tetralogy the book is severed from his ideas and it turns into a highly aestheticised novel written at the height of his powers.

Which was his short story where he and his wife sudoku'd?

Rupi Kaur would probably like that one :^)

i started with temple, then sailor then sea of fertility
all great

Patriotism
spoiler probably not needed since im pretty sure its in the books description

I didn't like it much at all. Also do you mean the style or the subject matter?

Mainly subject matter. It's a qt coming-of-age romance, but many scenes are pretty emotional and filled with conflict.