Ivan I. Morris Boeken

Long recognized as a core book in any study of Japanese culture and literature, The Nobility of Failure examines the lives and deaths of nine historical individuals who faced overwhelming odds, and, realizing they were doomed, accepted their fate--to be killed in battle or by execution, to wither in exile, or to escape through ritual suicide. Morris then turns his attention to the kamikaze pilots of World War II, who gave their lives in defense of their nation in the full realization that their deaths would have little effect on the course of the war. Through detail, crystal-clear prose and unmatched narrative sweep and brilliance, Professor Morris takes you into the innermost hearts of the Japanese people.

Ivan Morris’s definitive and widely acclaimed portrait of the ceremonious and melancholy world of ancient Japan. Using The Tale of Genji and other major literary works from Japan’s Heian period as a frame of reference, The World of the Shining Prince recreates an era when women set the cultural tone. Focusing on the world of the emperor’s court—a world deeply admired by Virginia Woolf, among others—renowned scholar of Japanese history and literature Ivan Morris explores the politics, society, religious life, and superstitions of the period. Offering readers detailed portrayals of the daily lives of courtiers, the cult of beauty they espoused, and the intricate relations between the men and women of the age, The World of the Shining Prince has been a cornerstone text on ancient Japan for half a century.

Death, homosexuality and the spiritual emptiness of post-war Japan: these are the often shocking subjects which Mishima explores. The old world meets the new in this collection of fiction and drama by one of Japan's most celebrated writers. A husband prepares to commit hara-kiri in the name of patriotism; an ascetic struggles with temptation; and a businessman meets a past love in the streets of San Francisco. Violence colours the work of Mishima, as it did his life. But there is also delicate observation, pathos, humour and irony in these beautifully crafted tales. Contents: - Death in Midsummer - Three Million Yen - Thermos Flasks - The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love - The Seven Bridges - Patriotism - Dōjōji - Onnagata - The Pearl - Swaddling Clothes

Ursula Gräfe, geboren 1956 in Frankfurt am Main, studierte Japanologie und Anglistik und arbeitet seit 1988 als Literaturübersetzerin. Sie hat u. a. Werke von R. K. Narayan, Haruki Murakami, Yasushi Inoue und Kenzaburo Oe ins Deutsche übertragen, ist Autorin einer Buddha-Biographie und Herausgeberin mehrerer Anthologien. Jedes Jahr verbringt sie einige Zeit in Asien, vor allem in Indien. Ursula Gräfe lebt in Frankfurt am Main. 

Alle Helden, deren ruhmreichen Aufstieg und ergreifenden Fall Morris schildert, haben eine Eigenschaft gemeinsam: Ihr ganzes Tun ist beherrscht von »makoto«, der kompromißlosen Aufrichtigkeit, die sich weder dem Pragmatismus noch dem gesunden Menschenverstand beugt.