The contradiction between Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai can be said to be well known to the world, but why Mishima hates Osamu Dazai, I read this "Novelist's Holiday" to understand.
The Novelist's Holiday is a collection of non-fiction diaries by Yukio Mishima. As the name suggests, it records Mishima's daily thoughts.
This diary records more than a month from June 24 to August 4, and Mishima's diary is very frequent and very personal, and the content of the records is so rich and complicated that you can peek into Mishima's heart.
I remember that in the cafeteria of the Art College, there would often be classmates who would ask their souls while eating: What are people living for? Some students said that it was to eat, some students said that they were waiting for death, and some students actually said that they wanted to appreciate art, and I remember that when I heard this answer, it was really a spray of rice.
When we read these diaries of Yukio Mishima, we find that the reasons we find incredible are the truth for Mishima, and that thinking about the relationship between art and spirit, art and life is his purpose in living in this world.
In his diary, Mishima sorted out his thoughts about death from childhood to adulthood, and the meaning of writing novels. Some diaries are also very gossipy, recording strange and strange things that happen around them. Some diaries discuss the difference between fiction and film in a very serious way, and some even devote a lot of space to discussing whether the novel should use a large space to depict the details of human appearance.
What I couldn't help but laugh at most was expressing in my diary my disdain for another famous Japanese writer, Osamu Dazai, which was disapproval from the bone. Mishima mocks Dazai in his diary. He believes that Dazaiji does not want to change in the face of his own predicament, and hopes to use this tribulation to win the sympathy of others, which is a "mother-cannon" behavior. A true warrior should face the predicament and overcome it, not groan in the face of difficulties.
After reading these diaries, I felt that Yukio Mishima, whom I had known from the novel before, was no longer the paper man I knew, but had the joys and sorrows of people. He was passionate about artistic creation, pretentious and fierce, despised the incompetent, and he loved to pursue details, and even sometimes a little gossip. He became three-dimensional, flesh and blood, and he was still a great writer, but he stepped off the altar from this diary and entered the ranks of man.
In addition to "The Novelist's Holiday", the book also includes reviews of "The Murder Weapon of the Seriously Ill", "Jean Geneté", "Huato's "Zhoufa Nishi moss Island", and "The Eternal Traveler - Yasunari Kawabata and His Works".
"The Murder Weapon of the Seriously Ill" is a very metaphorical point of view, to the effect of discussing the art form of morbidity and health, but I vaguely feel that this article still seems to be satirizing Dazaiji.
Jean Genet is Mishima's introduction to Jean-Genet's life and works. Jean-Genet is a Legendary French writer. His masterpieces "Our Lady of Flowers", "The Miracle of the Rose" and "The Thief's Diary" were all created in prison. After reading this article, I was also amazed by Mishima's literary criticism. I often write some rough book reading summaries after reading books, and sometimes I feel that I have written well, and after reading Mishima's comments, I can find my own shallow understanding of books.
"Huato's "Zhoufa Xitus island" is Mishima's commentary on the painting "Zhoufa Xitus Island". The Island of Zhoufa West Moss is an oil painting created by the French painter Jean Antoine Huado in 1717. The subject matter is taken from a popular opera of the time, depicting a group of aristocratic men and women dreaming of a carefree love paradise. Similarly, the painting did not arouse my curiosity, and what impressed me was Mishima's comments on the painting. After reading Mishima's explanation, this seemingly unremarkable painting immediately became interesting.
Whether it is literary criticism or art criticism, Mishima's style of criticism is very distinct, intense, gorgeous, with a deep thinking. Mishima's knowledge is extensive, and reading his comments can integrate many knowledge points.
"Eternal Traveler: Yasunari Kawabata and His Works" made me see what Yasunari Kawabata was like in Mishima's eyes.
"My Theory of Fiction Creation" and "The Theory of Drama Written in the Backstage Lounge" are more like two teaching records.
"A Brief History of Japanese Literature" is the last and more interesting one, which is a history of Japanese literature compiled and commented on by Mishima himself according to his own preferences. There are not many works in this article, but it is still interesting to see the merits of Japanese literature in the eyes of literary masters.
If you have only liked Yukio Mishima from his novels such as Kinkaku-ji Temple, Shio sa, and Sea of Plenty, then be sure to read this "Novelist's Holiday" and you will find the more humane Yukio Mishima.