Fiction

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

  • Downloads：2323
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-24 11:57:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Yukio Mishima
  • ISBN：0099284790
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Summary

A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys reject the adult world as illusory， hypocritical， and sentimental， and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call 'objectivity'。 When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship's officer， he and his friends idealise the man at first; but it is not long before they conclude that he is in fact soft and romantic。 They regard this disallusionment as an act of betrayal on his part - and the retribution is deliberate and horrifying。

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Reviews

Mario Valento ，

Very good。 You should read this Mady

Aditi ，

I think I'll give it a 2。5 or 3 stars。 I still don't know how I feel about it。 It was a weird book about a teenage boy who lives with his mother and they chance upon a sailor。 He is someone Noboru considers his hero but his hero has an affair， an affair with Noboru's mother。 Thus suddenly he stops being a hero for this boy。 This I still understand but the conversations amongst teenage boys that is depicted， their acts were gruesome and horrifying， to say the least。 They were definitely problemat I think I'll give it a 2。5 or 3 stars。 I still don't know how I feel about it。 It was a weird book about a teenage boy who lives with his mother and they chance upon a sailor。 He is someone Noboru considers his hero but his hero has an affair， an affair with Noboru's mother。 Thus suddenly he stops being a hero for this boy。 This I still understand but the conversations amongst teenage boys that is depicted， their acts were gruesome and horrifying， to say the least。 They were definitely problematic and I got major Lord of the Flies vibe。 It was creepy and dragged too much in places。 。。。more

Thalan-Harry Cowlishaw ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a subtly haunting portrayal of children's abandonment of the adult society， believing that father's are merely scum and to redeem one is more work than simply ridding the earth of one。 This was a subtly haunting portrayal of children's abandonment of the adult society， believing that father's are merely scum and to redeem one is more work than simply ridding the earth of one。 。。。more

Ilay ，

Superb writing。 Very disturbing story。 I can see a lot of Mishima's ideology and dark worldview are involved around Noboru and Ryuji。 None of these change the fact that I got super disturbed throughout the story though。 I'm just glad Mishima did not use his livid and detailed descriptions at the end like I was expecting。 I got so scared of the ending， could not read it for a while。 Not an easy book。 But loved Mishima's writing so maybe I'll check his other works too if they don't involve gore an Superb writing。 Very disturbing story。 I can see a lot of Mishima's ideology and dark worldview are involved around Noboru and Ryuji。 None of these change the fact that I got super disturbed throughout the story though。 I'm just glad Mishima did not use his livid and detailed descriptions at the end like I was expecting。 I got so scared of the ending， could not read it for a while。 Not an easy book。 But loved Mishima's writing so maybe I'll check his other works too if they don't involve gore and uncomfortable imagery。 。。。more

Alice Hargreaves ，

This was an interesting little read that I found myself returning to after a short break。 it wasn't my favourite by any means。 However， it is impossible to ignore Mishima's beautiful description and vivid imagery。 The scene painted is really genuinely enchanting and the way in which seasons are used to reflect the timeline of the book is interesting。 I think it is maybe the complex and metaphoric nature of the themes explore in this book that makes it difficult to gel with？ it is clear that ever This was an interesting little read that I found myself returning to after a short break。 it wasn't my favourite by any means。 However， it is impossible to ignore Mishima's beautiful description and vivid imagery。 The scene painted is really genuinely enchanting and the way in which seasons are used to reflect the timeline of the book is interesting。 I think it is maybe the complex and metaphoric nature of the themes explore in this book that makes it difficult to gel with？ it is clear that everything from the sea and the ships to Noburo and his mother are used to explore the specific aspects of life in Japan at that time。 Through a more analytical lens， I think this book has great depth; but as a morning read it doesn't offer a huge amount to build a connection with。 。。。more

Vytautas ，

The Japanese have this strange aesthetic that combines blood and beauty。 Disturbing， spectacular， monstrous， beautiful - the strangest combination， indeed。

kit fearney ，

a truly dreadful narcissistic view into mishima's homofascist views on masculinity。 the pacing is patchy and the prose is stodgy。 a truly dreadful narcissistic view into mishima's homofascist views on masculinity。 the pacing is patchy and the prose is stodgy。 。。。more

Júlia Fortunati ，

？？？！？！？¿¿¿？

Thu Huong ，

Văn phong trữ tình， lối tả cảnh sống động đã khiến tôi hình dung về 1 kết thúc đẹp cho cuộc tình của chàng sĩ quan。 Bước ngoặt trong cuộc đời chàng thủy thủ khi chàng quyết định kết hôn cũng là bước ngoặt chuyển đổi từ tươi sáng sang tối tăm của tác phẩm。 Tác giả đã rất thành công trong việc khắc họa nội tâm của nhân vật Noburo， sự thất vọng về những niềm tin sai lầm và thất tín dẫn đến 1 sự đả kích lớn lao trong tâm hồn của 1 đứa trẻ 13 tuổi。 Và đây là điềm báo của 1 điều ác， rất ác sắp sửa diễ Văn phong trữ tình， lối tả cảnh sống động đã khiến tôi hình dung về 1 kết thúc đẹp cho cuộc tình của chàng sĩ quan。 Bước ngoặt trong cuộc đời chàng thủy thủ khi chàng quyết định kết hôn cũng là bước ngoặt chuyển đổi từ tươi sáng sang tối tăm của tác phẩm。 Tác giả đã rất thành công trong việc khắc họa nội tâm của nhân vật Noburo， sự thất vọng về những niềm tin sai lầm và thất tín dẫn đến 1 sự đả kích lớn lao trong tâm hồn của 1 đứa trẻ 13 tuổi。 Và đây là điềm báo của 1 điều ác， rất ác sắp sửa diễn ra。 Khi Ryuji quyết định rời bỏ biển khơi thì cũng chính là lúc chàng nhận ra "mình là người lênh đênh vĩnh viễn"， chàng trấn an bản thân rằng tất cả những ảo niệm đó đã trở thành đống tro tàn， chàng nghĩ rằng "cái chết nghiêm trang và tráng liệt， cái vinh quang được chết giữa biển khơi mênh mông" đó đã sớm vụt tắt， nhưng rồi。。。 。。。more

Dheraj Ganjikunta ，

Really liked the aesthetics of this book， and I think it was a good choice to start with this in exploring Mishima。 I was introduced to him through the Paul Schraeder movie about his life/works， I think the movie does a good job of capturing his abstracted narrative style。 The aesthetic idealism comes across in many parts of this book， but I think as a whole the narrative did not have much to say。 I'm a fan of aesthetics and beauty for its own sake though， but this is the reason for -1 star。 Really liked the aesthetics of this book， and I think it was a good choice to start with this in exploring Mishima。 I was introduced to him through the Paul Schraeder movie about his life/works， I think the movie does a good job of capturing his abstracted narrative style。 The aesthetic idealism comes across in many parts of this book， but I think as a whole the narrative did not have much to say。 I'm a fan of aesthetics and beauty for its own sake though， but this is the reason for -1 star。 。。。more

S O'Keeffe ，

I am unsure of what to make of this book。 The plot is simple， yet it's symbolism is obtuse and complex。 Much has gone over my head due to the nature of the translation and my own ignorance。 Mishima， of course， was a right-wing radical who attempted a coup against the Japanese government。 A life long depressive and a proponent of traditional Japanese values， he suicided via sepuku in the wake of his failure。 Being both a hyper-masculine fascist and a tortured gay man， he was a complex and problem I am unsure of what to make of this book。 The plot is simple， yet it's symbolism is obtuse and complex。 Much has gone over my head due to the nature of the translation and my own ignorance。 Mishima， of course， was a right-wing radical who attempted a coup against the Japanese government。 A life long depressive and a proponent of traditional Japanese values， he suicided via sepuku in the wake of his failure。 Being both a hyper-masculine fascist and a tortured gay man， he was a complex and problematic man， paradoxically a right-wing loonie and an LGBT ground breaker in the literary world。 His worldview is at once very violent and hopelessly romantic， and though it is utterly vile， I find it fascinating。 I recognise the pieces that make this novel - the misanthropic， murderous child gang， the homoerotic descriptions of a sailor's coarse hands and muscular body， an anger toward Western influence and the lose of traditional values。 But I can't really grasp how Mishima intended this novel to be read。 I feel like I need to read a few essays discussing this novel before I am confident rating it， though I do give it a tentative recommendation。 I did appreciate the undercurrent of agony in the work。 There's a unique brand of loathing that permeates the story， loathing that is directed at the inner self and the outer world。 It is something only Mishima could have written。 。。。more

Weroxan ，

Mishima knows how to write a good ending to make the whole story satisfying。

Rae ，

4。5/5 starsProbably one of my favorites by Yukio Mishima so far。 I was engaged in the story as soon as I started it and I think I’m going to remember this book for a while。

ntoy ，

Sometimes confusing or bad translation but beautiful & 5 stars for seppuku

roz⭐ ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i actually did not want to read about animal killings thanku mishima， however i did appreciate the foreshadowing and sea allegory/extended metaphor

Aisha ，

Engaging and well written

Iva Wensley ，

The lyrical beauty of the prose contrasted perfectly with the brutal things happening。

AC ，

Very hard to rate。 The language is beautiful， but that is the English， not the Japanese。 Is Japanese really translatable at all into English？ I doubt it。 For much of this， I was reminded of young Törless。 But that is not really relevant。 Stick with it to the end， though。。。 （spoiler alert）。

Kevin Huang ，

（4。5/5）I flew through this book super quickly and it was very enjoyable to read。 I’m not a big fan of literature but this was pretty impactful and I wish we had read this in school rather than some of the other stuff that made no sense。 It was just the right length to tell the story and no unnecessary filler， easy to follow because of this。 I will definitely revisit this in the future and maybe i’ll pick up on more symbolism the second time around。

Jack ，

so good

Bethany ，

One definitely does not have to expect a warm embrace of a book every single time。 However， the book took such a disturbing and creepy turn - it only made me uneasy to continue reading， but I did。 As beautiful were Mishima's similes and descriptions， I found it to be far saturated for my taste; as if there were no room to breathe。 Revising this， it could be due to （view spoiler）[ the impending doom over Ryuji's fate; and so wanting to digest every little detail as if it were the also the readers One definitely does not have to expect a warm embrace of a book every single time。 However， the book took such a disturbing and creepy turn - it only made me uneasy to continue reading， but I did。 As beautiful were Mishima's similes and descriptions， I found it to be far saturated for my taste; as if there were no room to breathe。 Revising this， it could be due to （view spoiler）[ the impending doom over Ryuji's fate; and so wanting to digest every little detail as if it were the also the readers' last few days 。 （hide spoiler）] I found it overwhelming and too intensely written sometimes。 （view spoiler）[ The chapters involving Ryuji and Fusako's blossoming relationship were gorgeous。 Every sentence sang their feelings of romance in such an elevating way。 （hide spoiler）] My emotions fluctuate throughout the book due to Mishima's timeline choice and I applaud him for keeping me so raw and unknowing。 。。。more

Samuel Van Langenhove ，

Very disturbing but beautifully written。

Brpickering ，

I absolutely adored this book。 I can parallel it to Lord of the Flies by William Golding in regards to themes and the morals presented in the book。 I couldn’t have predicted what was going to happen at each turn of the page。 A great little read。

Virasat Singh ，

This book is all about the purity of youthful energy which is ultimately tamed and corrupted， and sells out for a more comfortable life。 Through this beautifully written novel， Mishima explores the powerful relationship between boys and men， the stark contrast between a man's romantic vision of a life spent chasing death and glory and the disillusionment he feels about the reality of such an undertaking， and the extreme lengths that a boy is willing to take in order to preserve his idealistic （a This book is all about the purity of youthful energy which is ultimately tamed and corrupted， and sells out for a more comfortable life。 Through this beautifully written novel， Mishima explores the powerful relationship between boys and men， the stark contrast between a man's romantic vision of a life spent chasing death and glory and the disillusionment he feels about the reality of such an undertaking， and the extreme lengths that a boy is willing to take in order to preserve his idealistic （and purely theoretical） ideas of glory （sheltering this image of glory from the corruption of 'evil' and 'pitiful' adults）。 This tale， although EXTREMELY EXTREMELY radical and strange， provides a fascinating interpretation of masculinity and manhood *。 Looking forward to reading more about Mishima， his life and his dharma。*One thought on the young boys' understanding of masculinity in relation to detachment: in attempting to practice detachment （and thus be manly） the boys actively quashed any feelings of compassion。 However， in doing so， the boys were not practicing detachment， but rather indifference - two very different things; detachment brings health and happiness whereas indifference purges joy。 。。。more

Susan_nguyenngoc ，

3。5 stars。 This book was confusing but understandable at the same time（？） I guess the philosophical dilemmas implied throughout the story speak louder than the plot itself， but I really don't know what to make of it。 I feel like this has to resonate more with teenagers who've experienced the Japanese culture which brought about the adult life illusions and expectations， and of course this a pretty old book。 Nonetheless， the writing is enjoyable with the elongated imagery。 I initially picked up t 3。5 stars。 This book was confusing but understandable at the same time（？） I guess the philosophical dilemmas implied throughout the story speak louder than the plot itself， but I really don't know what to make of it。 I feel like this has to resonate more with teenagers who've experienced the Japanese culture which brought about the adult life illusions and expectations， and of course this a pretty old book。 Nonetheless， the writing is enjoyable with the elongated imagery。 I initially picked up the book after reading a short descriptive paragraph which in a way I can describe as "contemporary dancing on paper"; everything was written so beautifully and every sentenced just naturally flowed together 。 Thanks to It's a fantastic translation that encapsulates the intended mood and atmosphere as the story progressed。 The "chief" was a character that struck out to me the most。 He acted like an aristocrat and every word he said was suppose to be perceived as gospel to the other boys。 While reading I really wondered how he developed such evil nihilistic ideologies， and how he ultimately sees himself as "god" in my opinion to be able to choose what lives are to be "destroyed"。 Overall it's a great book for people who are interested in existentialism and messed up 13-year-old boys exploring it。 。。。more

ポピ ，

2。5Not for me。I think people who like Lord of the Flies might like this。 Kind of a similar vibe

James Chan ，

One of the most beautifully worded books I've ever read。 One of the most beautifully worded books I've ever read。 。。。more

Emma ，

beautiful and keenly disturbing book。 Mishima was obsessed with aesthetics and that is illustrated in every carefully chosen word in the novel。 I've never read an author as obsessed with describing the quality of light and shadow， as well as the exact positions of various objects。 This especially makes sense when you consider that his philosophy is partially predicated on aesthetic ideals of symmetry and perfection。His beliefs are inescapable in the book: every character has their own idea of a beautiful and keenly disturbing book。 Mishima was obsessed with aesthetics and that is illustrated in every carefully chosen word in the novel。 I've never read an author as obsessed with describing the quality of light and shadow， as well as the exact positions of various objects。 This especially makes sense when you consider that his philosophy is partially predicated on aesthetic ideals of symmetry and perfection。His beliefs are inescapable in the book: every character has their own idea of a perfect aesthetic and is greatly disturbed when reality fails to live up to their expectations。 The more unsettling elements of Mishima's right-wing nationalism are also starkly on display-- Noboru's wish for an ideal of a strong Japanese figure is dashed by Ryuji appearing to capitulate to Fusako's Western influences， something that catalyzes immense brutality。 。。。more

Jim Topping ，

I was a little surprised how brutal this story turned out to be。 The quality of writing was very good。 The pace was kept without dramatic effects。 The reason I read this book was that I was also reading parallel to this， the biography "The life and death of Yukio Mishima"。 This was a personal experiment， that for my taste worked just fine。 I find it very hard to describe the effect of this experiment and what it was like to find traces of Yukio Mishima everywhere。 I loved it。 I found it so enhan I was a little surprised how brutal this story turned out to be。 The quality of writing was very good。 The pace was kept without dramatic effects。 The reason I read this book was that I was also reading parallel to this， the biography "The life and death of Yukio Mishima"。 This was a personal experiment， that for my taste worked just fine。 I find it very hard to describe the effect of this experiment and what it was like to find traces of Yukio Mishima everywhere。 I loved it。 I found it so enhancing that I am now reading "Lenin´s Tomb by David Remnick along side "Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith。 （Theme Russia） 。。。more

Miranda ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Black and white perspective on masculinity and the role of men。 While I cannot fully comprehend the message of this book， it's still an interesting read。 My favorite segment is the kitten scene， as it signifies that one's soul becomes unified with the world in death。 A creature so small becoming part of something grand。 Is this a demonstration of the glory that Mishima likes to present？ The message of this book is a little too black and white for my liking。 The condemnation of fatherhood surpris Black and white perspective on masculinity and the role of men。 While I cannot fully comprehend the message of this book， it's still an interesting read。 My favorite segment is the kitten scene， as it signifies that one's soul becomes unified with the world in death。 A creature so small becoming part of something grand。 Is this a demonstration of the glory that Mishima likes to present？ The message of this book is a little too black and white for my liking。 The condemnation of fatherhood surprises me， as fathers are a vital part in the creation of honorable men。 Glory isn't defined by brutality， but rather a balance of judgment and mercy。 Will I be reading another Mishima piece？ Probably not。 I'm conflicted between a rating of 3/5 or 4/5。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0