Fiction

The Twilight World

The Twilight World

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  • Create Date：2022-06-23 02:21:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Werner Herzog
  • ISBN：0593490266
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Summary

The great filmmaker Werner Herzog， in his first novel， tells the incredible story of Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II

In 1997， Werner Herzog was in Tokyo to direct an opera。 His hosts asked him， Whom would you like to meet？ He replied instantly: Hiroo Onoda。 Onoda was a former solider famous for having quixotically defended an island in the Philippines for decades after World War II， unaware the fighting was over。 Herzog and Onoda developed an instant rapport and would meet many times， talking for hours and together unraveling the story of Onoda's long war。

At the end of 1944， on Lubang Island in the Philippines， with Japanese troops about to withdraw， Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was given orders by his superior officer: Hold the island until the Imperial army's return。 You are to defend its territory by guerrilla tactics， at all costs。 。 。 。 There is only one rule。 You are forbidden to die by your own hand。 In the event of your capture by the enemy， you are to give them all the misleading information you can。 So began Onoda's long campaign， during which he became fluent in the hidden language of the jungle。 Soon weeks turned into months， months into years， and years into decades--until eventually time itself seemed to melt away。 All the while Onoda continued to fight his fictitious war， at once surreal and tragic， at first with other soldiers， and then， finally， alone， a character in a novel of his own making。

In The Twilight World， Herzog immortalizes and imagines Onoda's years of absurd yet epic struggle in an inimitable， hypnotic style--part documentary， part poem， and part dream--that will be instantly recognizable to fans of his films。 The result is a novel completely unto itself， a sort of modern-day Robinson Crusoe tale: a glowing， dancing meditation on the purpose and meaning we give our lives。

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Reviews

Sergio ，

This is an excellent book and was a quick read。 Herzog's writing feels much like his films so if you enjoy those works you're likely to enjoy this。 This is an excellent book and was a quick read。 Herzog's writing feels much like his films so if you enjoy those works you're likely to enjoy this。 。。。more

Greg ，

Who would have thought this wasn't Herzog's spin on sparkly vampires？Instead it's a maybe fictionalized account of a real-life Japanese solider who stayed hidden on a Philippines island for 20 something years protecting it and being ready for the return of the Japanese Army。 In other words Herzog has written a novel about a real-life very Herzog type scenario。 Who would have thought this wasn't Herzog's spin on sparkly vampires？Instead it's a maybe fictionalized account of a real-life Japanese solider who stayed hidden on a Philippines island for 20 something years protecting it and being ready for the return of the Japanese Army。 In other words Herzog has written a novel about a real-life very Herzog type scenario。 。。。more

Bradley Allf ，

A familiar world for those acquainted with Herzog’s films （especially if you listened to the audiobook， as I did， which is narrated by Herzog）: Festering jungles， obsessive people， the inimitable style of simple and evocative syntax。 The timeline jumps around in a suitably dreamy way。 It’s quite short for a novel， I listened to it in an afternoon。 I think the emotional moment of Onoda’s emergence from the jungle would have felt more impactful if the story were longer; I never quite felt the dept A familiar world for those acquainted with Herzog’s films （especially if you listened to the audiobook， as I did， which is narrated by Herzog）: Festering jungles， obsessive people， the inimitable style of simple and evocative syntax。 The timeline jumps around in a suitably dreamy way。 It’s quite short for a novel， I listened to it in an afternoon。 I think the emotional moment of Onoda’s emergence from the jungle would have felt more impactful if the story were longer; I never quite felt the depth of connection with his character and predicament that would make me feel a real sense of relief at his rescue。 The image of Onoda and his fellow soldier huddled around a pillaged radio listening to a fading broadcast of a Japanese horse race will stick with me。 Such a bittersweet， melancholy moment。 This book is in communion with the “Stranger in the Woods” story of the North Woods Hermit in Maine。 I wonder what the hermit and Onoda would talk about together… 。。。more

Justin Gerber ，

Quiet moon， I may look like a tramp or beggar，But you are witness to the glory of my soul。

Heidi ，

Great story。。。。。but the author felt the need to read his own book。。 。keep your day job。 I listened to it all but his voice was not meant for narration

William ，

It's hard to read the introduction to this novel without hearing it in Herzog's voice。 It's hard to read the introduction to this novel without hearing it in Herzog's voice。 。。。more

Jason Downey ，

Very 良い。

Jason McCracken ，

It would've made a better 30 minute short film。 It would've made a better 30 minute short film。 。。。more

Jon Drawbaugh ，

An incredible tale well told by one our our most talented storytellers。 Werner Herzog’s voice and humanity permeate this story of survival， purpose， and what it means to be a human。 Perception of time and truth bend to the rhythm of the jungle。 And with it we bend our own reality。 It begs the question ultimately of what is time？ Are we ever truly living in the present？ One step forward is the future only a step ahead of the past。

Lee Klein ，

Herzog writing about a mostly solitary obsessive in the jungle 。 。 。 Not first person， like Of Walking in Ice or Conquest of the Useless， somewhat of a shame given the peculiarities of his consciousness/perspective。 Moments of expected Herzogian "ecstatic beauty" in prose， nevertheless， mostly to start or end sections， often about insects。 Worth it for completists。 Little Dieter Needs to Fly / Rescue Dawn / fornicating/murderous jungle territory。 Great translation， of course。 Clear scenes。 Inter Herzog writing about a mostly solitary obsessive in the jungle 。 。 。 Not first person， like Of Walking in Ice or Conquest of the Useless， somewhat of a shame given the peculiarities of his consciousness/perspective。 Moments of expected Herzogian "ecstatic beauty" in prose， nevertheless， mostly to start or end sections， often about insects。 Worth it for completists。 Little Dieter Needs to Fly / Rescue Dawn / fornicating/murderous jungle territory。 Great translation， of course。 Clear scenes。 Interesting from the present perspective saturated with news， also interesting that the protagonist doesn't trust the shreds of news he accesses over 29 years fighting WWII post-1945。 Loved how the movement of bombers through the skies suggests the persistence of WWII for someone ignorant of the armistice， the Korean War， and the Vietnam War， like it's all one long war。 Interested in searching out the original source text: No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War。 。。。more

Cody Lakin ，

Roger Ebert described Werner Herzog as “the holy genius of the German New Wave，” a name I’ve long agreed with。 His documentaries embody Herzog’s own inquisitiveness and curiosity， but often the most compelling ingredient is the man himself。 The individuals he turns his attention toward are often compelled by obsessions， motivations， beliefs， that place them outside society’s normal spectrum。 And they’re always interesting stories， but it’s the nature of Herzog himself—his curiosity， his vulnerab Roger Ebert described Werner Herzog as “the holy genius of the German New Wave，” a name I’ve long agreed with。 His documentaries embody Herzog’s own inquisitiveness and curiosity， but often the most compelling ingredient is the man himself。 The individuals he turns his attention toward are often compelled by obsessions， motivations， beliefs， that place them outside society’s normal spectrum。 And they’re always interesting stories， but it’s the nature of Herzog himself—his curiosity， his vulnerability， and his own brutal philosophies which he isn’t shy about sharing—that brings me to those stories， often more so than the stories themselves。I mean yeah， the story of Timothy Treadwell is， on its own， a fascinating one， yet under Herzog’s eye， “Grizzly Man” is a hypnotic， beautiful meditation of a film。So， coming across this book in the New Fiction， all it needed was Herzog’s name and I would’ve bought it。 It helps， though， that the story of Hirro Onoda is a genuinely fascinating one。Any Herzog fan will be delighted to know that， as is true with his documentaries， Herzog doesn’t omit himself from this work。 It’s as though he is talking to you， narrating the story， referencing—a small number of times—his own relationship with and perception of Onoda。 You see， this is a work of fiction， but it’s telling a true story， and Herzog treats it as true。 It’s simply that writing as a fiction book allows it to be explored as a piece of what Herzog has called “ecstatic truth。” In that way it also feels， sometimes， like poetry。It is also a succinct book。 Not a single word feels wasted， making it a quick read that is still dense with the weight of its story， the horror of it， the tragedy， the beauty。 I realized I could hear Herzog’s voice in the writing， which is nothing but an added bonus。It’d be an intriguing read for anyone， as the story it tells its true， and it’s told here in a compelling way， blending its poetry with its facts。 It’s a small， powerful book。 But for the Herzog fan like myself， it is essential。 。。。more

Artur Coelho ，

Este é exatamente o tipo de livro que podemos esperar de Herzog。 Se surpreende o realizador escrever um romance， há que notar que ele é antes tudo， um contador de histórias。 E um contador peculiar， para quem as histórias oscilam entre o panorama geral e pequenos detalhes que se acumulam em retratos psicológicos intensos。 Herzog sempre se focou nas obsessões de personalidade， explorando e ampliando pequenos traços que explicam o foco idiosincrático daqueles por quem se interessa。 Algo patente que Este é exatamente o tipo de livro que podemos esperar de Herzog。 Se surpreende o realizador escrever um romance， há que notar que ele é antes tudo， um contador de histórias。 E um contador peculiar， para quem as histórias oscilam entre o panorama geral e pequenos detalhes que se acumulam em retratos psicológicos intensos。 Herzog sempre se focou nas obsessões de personalidade， explorando e ampliando pequenos traços que explicam o foco idiosincrático daqueles por quem se interessa。 Algo patente quer na sua cinematografia de ficção， quer no seu documentarismo。The Twilight World lê-se como um roteiro para um documentário nunca realizado。 A linguagem de Herzog é profundamente visual， como seria de esperar。 Mesmo quando aborda estados de alma， usa linguagem precisa e descritiva， usando o exógeno para caracterizar o estado interior do ser。 O livro mergulha-nos nas selvas de uma ilhota filipina， palco de uma longa campanha de guerrilha levada a cabo por um soldado japonês， que cumpre tão escrupulosamente as suas ordens que se mantém em combate décadas após o final da II Guerra。 É interessante que Herzog não caracteriza este comportamento como de fanatismo cego， apenas um misto de isolamento com espírito marcial de quem cumpre ordens。 A história é real， e Herzog construi-a a partir de entrevistas com o próprio Hiroo Onoda。 O livro detalha um pouco as suas campanhas de guerrilha， após receber uma ordem superior para se manter na ilha após a evacuação japonesa。 Reúne alguns soldados perdidos numa pequena força de combate， adaptando-se à selva， sobrevivendo e mantendo uma campanha militar。 Em paralelo， há um mergulho profundo num mundo irreal， onde um pequeno grupo de homens está isolado do mundo， passa-lhe ao lado toda a evolução e modernidade， e continua a imaginar uma ordem global de acordo com a imagem do imperialismo japonês。 Quaisquer tentativas de contacto são rejeitadas， as provas de que o mundo mudou são consideradas pelo soldado como propaganda e estratégias de engano。 Uma história que só termina quando um viajante， também japonês， encontra forma de levar um antigo oficial superior à selva filipina， e com isso à rendição do soldado。 E， embora Herzog não detalhe essa parte， ao transplante do isolamento da selva para um mundo moderno profundamente transformado。 Tema pesado， mas de leitura leve。 Herzog é misericordioso com o leitor， faz aquela coisa rara que é escrever um livro pequeno e sucinto， embora profundo e bem recheado。 Revê uma história da história do século XX， atrevendo-se a ir além do parágrafo de historiador e a mostrar-nos a perspetiva de quem a viveu。 。。。more

Dan ，

herzog being herzog

Garrett ，

Pitch perfect novella told mainly in short vignettes。 Read like an unfilmed Herzog masterpiece， and focuses on his frequent themes of human folly， the absurdity of fantasies of control in the face of unyielding nature， and the fine line between madmen and the dreamers。 After reading Conquest of the Useless a few years ago and loving it， I remember wishing Herzog would write a novel。 He's a fantastic writer and a beautiful stylist。 I went in with high expectations and they were surpassed。 The app Pitch perfect novella told mainly in short vignettes。 Read like an unfilmed Herzog masterpiece， and focuses on his frequent themes of human folly， the absurdity of fantasies of control in the face of unyielding nature， and the fine line between madmen and the dreamers。 After reading Conquest of the Useless a few years ago and loving it， I remember wishing Herzog would write a novel。 He's a fantastic writer and a beautiful stylist。 I went in with high expectations and they were surpassed。 The approach here feels simultaneously old fashioned and fresh， unlike anything contemporary I can think of。 It felt so different in such a great way， and yet it is unmistakably Herzog， a story he was meant to tell。 The highlights for me were the encounters with mundane objects-- portable radios， chewed gum on a post， newspapers-- interpreted and analyzed by the soldiers until they become strange and surreal objects with their own alien histories， left by some malevolent force seeking to undermine the doomed mission that already only exists in their minds。 。。。more

Tina Lewis ，

It's an amazing and rare honor to begin reading a future classic the day after it was published！ Destined to become a 21st century classic， I have read it before thousands of high school and college kids will see it listed on their English or Social Studies class syllabus。I became an instant fan of Werner Herzog after watching his documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" （about France's Chauvet Cave） and he hasn't disappointed me。 "The Twilight World" is a very short novella/history book of a Japa It's an amazing and rare honor to begin reading a future classic the day after it was published！ Destined to become a 21st century classic， I have read it before thousands of high school and college kids will see it listed on their English or Social Studies class syllabus。I became an instant fan of Werner Herzog after watching his documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" （about France's Chauvet Cave） and he hasn't disappointed me。 "The Twilight World" is a very short novella/history book of a Japanese soldier who was so incredibly dedicated to his responsibility as a lieutenant that he refused to give up fighting even after being stranded on a small island in the Philippines in 1942。 In 1974， he was respectfully ordered to surrender。 This story has fascinated me since I first heard about it many years ago。 Was this officer totally insane， totally blood-thirsty， or both？ Turns out he was neither。 Read the book to find out how it could be possible that a soldier would continue to fight a war alone for 30 years beyond its end。 。。。more

Patricia Burgess ，

Based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier on the island of Lubang， who was ordered to keep the island protected for the Imperial Army during the end of World War II。 Onoda never believed Japan surrendered; he kept watch over the northern jungle end of the island （early on with four other soldiers， but over the years he was the only one to survive or not to surrender） until 1974， almost thirty years。 Herzog portrays the facts as accurately as possible but creates the fiction， fil Based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier on the island of Lubang， who was ordered to keep the island protected for the Imperial Army during the end of World War II。 Onoda never believed Japan surrendered; he kept watch over the northern jungle end of the island （early on with four other soldiers， but over the years he was the only one to survive or not to surrender） until 1974， almost thirty years。 Herzog portrays the facts as accurately as possible but creates the fiction， filling in blanks in Onoda’s memory， mesmerizing in the descriptions of living in the rain， rain， fog of the jungle， Onoda caught in the philosophy of the all-encompassing Emperor of Japan， the timeliness/timelessness of time， past and future， no present。 The true facts are incredible， but told with Herzog’s literary skill， beautiful and sad。 。。。more

Patrick King ，

“Every year， Onoda produces his family sword from its hiding place， and carefully cleans and oils it。 Even if he was living in fever dreams， the sword remains his most palpable reference point for something that cannot be invented; an anchor dropped in a distant reality。”“Sometimes，” says Onoda， “it feels to me that there is something about these weapons that takes them out of human control。 Do they have a life of their own， as soon as they’re devised？ And doesn’t war seem to have a life of its “Every year， Onoda produces his family sword from its hiding place， and carefully cleans and oils it。 Even if he was living in fever dreams， the sword remains his most palpable reference point for something that cannot be invented; an anchor dropped in a distant reality。”“Sometimes，” says Onoda， “it feels to me that there is something about these weapons that takes them out of human control。 Do they have a life of their own， as soon as they’re devised？ And doesn’t war seem to have a life of its own too？ Does war dream of war？”This slim novel， read in about the time it takes to watch a movie， is Werner Herzog’s recollections of meeting Hiroo Onoda mixed with his dreams of what Onoda’s many years in the jungle were like。 It blends all of what is good about Herzog’s nonfiction writing （the plain spoken beauty of images， his incredible eye） with what’s great about his filmmaking （his ability to turn objects into metaphors for something greater， his facility with plot）。 Onoda’s story could be seen as a joke in the wrong person’s hand， but Herzog highlights the beauty and tragedy in it。 He transforms a historical oddity into a tender story of faith and love and honor。And it’s full of little Herzog-ian gems like， “In the uncertainty of the hours and days， routines create a frail sense of security。” You can’t help but imagine his narration。 。。。more

Mike Gonzalez ，

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Steven Witt ，

Werner Herzong's book The Twilight World， based on a true story about Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II is fairly short at just 149 pages。 I've seen a few complaints in online reviews about how short the book is。 It's in the book description， so should not come as a surprise。 If anyone has an issue with shorter books， check them out at the library instead of buying them。 This book is very good， very Werner Herzong's book The Twilight World， based on a true story about Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II is fairly short at just 149 pages。 I've seen a few complaints in online reviews about how short the book is。 It's in the book description， so should not come as a surprise。 If anyone has an issue with shorter books， check them out at the library instead of buying them。 This book is very good， very well told， and very compelling。 Poetic at times， sad， but certainly a testament to this mans dedication to his country and beliefs。 。。。more

John Bond ，

Eloquent and difficult to believe。

Riley ，

Werner Herzog tells the story of Hiroo Onoda like he would have filmed it -- an excellent read。

Marsha Rafalski ，

（2。5 rounded to 3。0）This book is classified as nonfiction on some catalogs （Goodreads， Story Graph） but it is referred to on the Publisher’s website and in the Libby library as fiction。 I am referring to it as Historical Fiction in my records。 Werner Herzog is a German film and opera director， screenwriter， and author。 When he directed an opera in Japan in 1997， he was asked if there was anyone he would like to meet （including the Emperor）。 He chose Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier who defended L （2。5 rounded to 3。0）This book is classified as nonfiction on some catalogs （Goodreads， Story Graph） but it is referred to on the Publisher’s website and in the Libby library as fiction。 I am referring to it as Historical Fiction in my records。 Werner Herzog is a German film and opera director， screenwriter， and author。 When he directed an opera in Japan in 1997， he was asked if there was anyone he would like to meet （including the Emperor）。 He chose Hiroo Onoda， a Japanese soldier who defended Lubanz Island in the Philippines from 1944 to 1974 as a solitary guerrilla fighter。 He had originally been part of a group of four soldiers told “to “Hold the island until the Imperial army's return。”。 Over the years， the group received flyers from the Japanese and Philippino governments， overheard broadcasts and conversations and was personally told of the end of the war by occasional contacts with people。 But Onoda maintained that it was all propaganda and refused to surrender。 One of the soldiers surrendered in 1945 and the other two died from wounds received in attacks on civilian farmers。 Onoda continued to be at war until a Japanese adventurer met with him and Onoda said the only way he would believe it was if he were told by his commander。 He was officially relieved of duty on March 9， 1974 by his former commanding officer （then 88 years old）。After their initial meeting in 1997， Herzog and Onoda became friends resulting in Herzog writing this novella which was published in June 2022。 Herzog enhanced the basic story to portray Onoda as the quintessential loyal soldier。 Onoda was not a likable or sympathetic character。 Herzog’s attempts to exalt and magnify his character as some sort of nobility of spirit fell flat。 Instead it makes him appear selfish， obstinate and self absorbed to the point of madness。 Onoda’s story is an intriguing one， but I found the Wikipedia version of its telling much superior to this version。 Not recommended。 。。。more

Kieran Morgan ，

Not anything special in a literary sense， but the story， the actual story is fantastic， so fantastic that words cannot do it justice， so no disrespect to Herzog， no one could do this story justice。 It's the most profound illustration of war that could ever be。 School curriculum related to wars should all be abandoned and replaced with the story of Onoda。 Not anything special in a literary sense， but the story， the actual story is fantastic， so fantastic that words cannot do it justice， so no disrespect to Herzog， no one could do this story justice。 It's the most profound illustration of war that could ever be。 School curriculum related to wars should all be abandoned and replaced with the story of Onoda。 。。。more

Joel Mathis ，

This would make a great movie。 （True story: I picked this book up at the store shortly after 7 pm。 Finished it at 10:30 pm。 It was a quick read。）

Philippe ，

Weer een mooie aanvulling van de reeks Oorlogsdomein van De Arbeiderspers。 Herzogs bondige relaas van de wederwaardigheden van een Japanse 'holdout' in de Filipijnse rimboe is zeer lezenswaard， maar mist naar mijn gevoel toch de impact van zijn autobiografische Vom Gehen im Eis。 Nochtans begaf de auteur zich hier op een terrein - de jungle - waar hij elders zeer cassant heeft over gesproken。 Het verhaal begint wel met een onvergetelijke paukenslag: Herzog weigert domweg een audiëntie bij de Japa Weer een mooie aanvulling van de reeks Oorlogsdomein van De Arbeiderspers。 Herzogs bondige relaas van de wederwaardigheden van een Japanse 'holdout' in de Filipijnse rimboe is zeer lezenswaard， maar mist naar mijn gevoel toch de impact van zijn autobiografische Vom Gehen im Eis。 Nochtans begaf de auteur zich hier op een terrein - de jungle - waar hij elders zeer cassant heeft over gesproken。 Het verhaal begint wel met een onvergetelijke paukenslag: Herzog weigert domweg een audiëntie bij de Japanse keizer en probeert zijn gezicht te redden door aan te sturen op een ontmoeting met de mythische Hiroo Onoda 。。。 Aanvullend beveel ik de lectuur aan van het online artikel van Mike Dash dat meer nuance brengt in de motieven van de Japanse 'stragglers' die het extreem lang volhielden。 。。。more

Carole ，

Atmospheric little book about the Japanese soldier who continued fighting WWII until the 70s。 I enjoyed it very much。

Owlseyes ，

"I still try to avoid psychological introspection。”in: https://www。japantimes。co。jp/culture/。。。 "I still try to avoid psychological introspection。”in: https://www。japantimes。co。jp/culture/。。。 。。。more

Ken French ，

Excellent， and not at all what I expected。 I was thinking this would read like an unproduced screenplay， but instead it's told introspectively from the protagonist's viewpoint。 Also， it's an extremely quick read; I finished it in two sittings。 Excellent， and not at all what I expected。 I was thinking this would read like an unproduced screenplay， but instead it's told introspectively from the protagonist's viewpoint。 Also， it's an extremely quick read; I finished it in two sittings。 。。。more

Pedro Schulz ，

Herzog apreende o todo a partir do nada。 Vertiginoso。

Bobby Nelson ，

This is beyond stars: a most original story about a Japanese soldier that is the stuff of folklore。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Twilight World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Twilight World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Twilight World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0