Tokyo, 1912. The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - rich provincial familes, a new and powerful political and social elite. Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new, and his feelings for the exquisite, spirited Satoko, observed from the sidelines by his devoted friend Honda. When Satoko is engaged to a royal prince, Kiyoaki realises the magnitude of his passion.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility
Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.
Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.
"Mishima is like Stendhal in his precise psychological analyses, like Dostoevsky in his explorations of darkly destructive personalities."
-- Christian Science Monitor
"[The Sea of Fertility] is a literary legacy on the scale of Proust's."
-- National Review
Translated from the Japanese by Michael Gallagher
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Seller: Bay State Book Company, North Smithfield, RI, U.S.A.
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Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: New. Tokyo, 1912. The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - rich provincial families, a new and powerful elite.Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new, and his feelings for the exquisite, spirited Satoko. His devoted friend Honda watches from the sidelines. It is only when Satoko is engaged to a royal prince that Kiyoaki realises the magnitude of his passion.'An austere love story, probably my favourite of his novels' David Mitchell, Independent on Sunday '[Mishima's] best work, unnerving as it may be, still casts a spell; and I suspect it will retain its dark radiance' Guardian. Seller Inventory # LU-9780099282990
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The first novel in Mishima's masterful Sea of Fertility tetraologyTokyo, 1912. The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - rich provincial families, a new and powerful elite.Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new, and his feelings for the exquisite, spirited Satoko. His devoted friend Honda watches from the sidelines. It is only when Satoko is engaged to a royal prince that Kiyoaki realises the magnitude of his passion.'An austere love story, probably my favourite of his novels' David Mitchell, Independent on Sunday' Mishima's best work, unnerving as it may be, still casts a spell; and I suspect it will retain its dark radiance' Guardian The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - rich provincial families, a new and powerful political and social elite.Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099282990
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PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # GB-9780099282990
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Seller: Majestic Books, Hounslow, United Kingdom
Condition: New. pp. 400. Seller Inventory # 6276852
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Seller: Kennys Bookstore, Olney, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: New. Tokyo, 1912. The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - provincial families, a political and social elite. Kiyoaki has been raised among the Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them. Num Pages: 400 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FYT. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 129 x 27. Weight in Grams: 282. 1999. New Ed. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # 9780099282990