The Wind Rises

Tatsuo Hori is a recognized classic of Japanese literature, still little known to the Russian reader. His impressionistic prose was highly regarded by Yasunari Kawabata, while Hori considered himself a student and follower of Ryunosuke Akutagawa.
The main works of the writer — "The Wind Rises", "The Beautiful Village", "Naoko", "The House Under the Ash Trees" — were created between 1925 and 1946, a period when the literary life of Japan was characterized by a diversity of creative directions, and the influence of Western civilization, along with the rethinking of national tradition it prompted, created an atmosphere of constant philosophical searching in the intellectual milieu. This atmosphere and the tragic circumstances of Tatsuo Hori's personal life determined his heightened attention to the finitude of human existence, the meaning, value, and beauty of life. The refined aestheticism of his prose serves as a way to pose quite complex questions without voicing them aloud. At the same time, among Hori's works, there are pieces so filled with love for the surrounding world that any thought of death melts away without a trace in the sparkling delight of earthly existence.