The Sound of the Surf

Yukio Mishima is like a shard of old Japan, stuck in the future, the "land of swords and chrysanthemums." A radical nationalist, a singer of samurai-Shinto ethics and aesthetics, the most famous and widely read Japanese writer, nominated five times for the Nobel Prize, Mishima is renowned for both his virtuoso craftsmanship in literature and his extravagant actions (he ended his life by committing seppuku after a failed attempt to restore the monarchy). "The Sound of the Surf" tells the story of the love between a young fisherman and a girl — a pearl diver. The penetrating psychology and elegance of style characteristic of Mishima's work make this simple and poetic tale an undeniable classic of Japanese and world literature.