Mishima was such a talented writer. Such a beautiful book and so poetic. Loved it a lot and want to read more.

This is a collection of late Mishima stories that show the breadth of his work and interests. It may not be a good starting point for someone new to Mishima, however, as none of them matched the breathtaking delicacy and brutality of [book:Patriotism|7420324] for me.

There are stories here that showcase the author's nationalist patriotism and the 'betrayal' of Emperor Hirohito. There are haunting ghost stories, and gothic-esque soul divisions where something unknown and almost unacknowledged emanates from the narrator. A striking tale set in America foregrounds a moment when the world stops in a fiery blast of annihilation, characterised here as a profound instance of complete and coherent human understanding as humanity is united in death.

There is something so distinctive about Mishima's vision, that disturbing aesthetic of morbidity and sensitivity.

Not sure if my expectations were just shot toward a completely opposite direction, or if this was just sort of disappointing somehow - on different levels - stylistically lacking, narrative and plot-wise sort of undercooked, and nothing really hits? But it's Mishima, and because of that, I'm still a little bit biased. Would rather read Mishima than a mid, mediocre new debut work of someone new. Maybe that's more my problem than Mishima's then. All in all reminded me of my least favourite work of his, "Beautiful Star", esp. in terms of style and structure, and tone too perhaps. Might reduce it to a two star rating later. Really didn't get anything out of it. Stories were too brief, and mostly without substance. And the style wasn't interesting enough either. It's as if the only reason this could be published or marketed is because Mishima wrote it.

A variety of fiction and real-life stories written in different POVs, styles and genres.
The Peacocks, From the Wilderness and the titular story were my favourites.
I enjoyed the plots and the styles of some more, and overall this was a 3-star read for me.

Mishima is one of my favorite authors and one whose short stories I also tolerate, which is the genre I detest the most along with YA. That said, in my opinion, except for a few, there are some pretty forgettable short stories in this collection, as already mentioned though with exceptions. The themes are the usual ones anyway, death, sex, honor etc. The translator is different for each story, but as not being able to read the original myself, I can only assume it works because it sounds good.

Mishima é uno dei miei autori preferiti ed uno dei quali tollero anche i racconti, che sono il genere che detesto di piú assieme al YA. Detto questo, secondo me, tranne alcuni, ci sono dei racconti piuttosto dimenticabili in questa raccolta, come giá detto peró con delle eccezioni. I temi sono i soliti comunque, morte, sesso, onore etc.Il traduttore é diverso per ogni racconto, ma come al solito, non potendo io leggere l'originale, non posso che dare per scontato che funzioni, perché suona bene.

I received a digital advanced review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.