Fiction

The Decay of the Angel

The Decay of the Angel

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  • Create Date：2021-04-09 15:00:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Yukio Mishima
  • ISBN：009928457X
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Summary

In this book about faith and duty， Batman learns that not only does his nobility extend deep within his ancestry but also that some things beyond the laws of science。 When a mysterious package arrives at Wayne Manor， the Dark Knight Detective discovers that he is a descendant of a Grail Knight from King Arthur's court。 Now possessing the Holy Grail itself， Batman must come to terms with the ramifications of its existence while safeguarding the artifact from the denizens of attackers。 Featuring the Penguin， Two-Face， Catwoman， and Ra's al Ghul， this book adds an interesting and provocative chapter to the Batman legend。

Collects Batman: The Chalice and Batman: The Ankh #1-2

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Reviews

Dominika ，

3。5There were parts I enjoyed that make this book different from the previous ones （yay for shorter elaboration on philosophical questions and relation between the heroes which was somewhat deeper）。 Toru is something fresh and mischevious， yet interesting to follow。 Yet there were parts which felt like Mishima had troubles with proper closure and idea for that。

Blaxis the Golden Witch ，

I am not okay :）This tetralogy was one hell of a ride， and I enjoyed every part of it。 Truly， the work of a genius。

morgan ，

I'm in disbelief on how much I love this book and the rest of the tetralogy 🌸 I'm rather upset that's it's over :（ I'm in disbelief on how much I love this book and the rest of the tetralogy 🌸 I'm rather upset that's it's over :（ 。。。more

Hicham Terben ，

Book good

Ben Rogers ，

Great read。 Mishima was such a talented writer。 Really great end to the Sea of Fertility series。 I liked this book much more than book 3 The Temple of Dawn。 Lots of deep， inner， hidden meanings in this book。 Great way to end！Apparently Yukio offed himself within 1 day of submitting this book to the publishers。 With that knowledge， the last portion of this book was very hard to read。3。8/5 Great read。 Mishima was such a talented writer。 Really great end to the Sea of Fertility series。 I liked this book much more than book 3 The Temple of Dawn。 Lots of deep， inner， hidden meanings in this book。 Great way to end！Apparently Yukio offed himself within 1 day of submitting this book to the publishers。 With that knowledge， the last portion of this book was very hard to read。3。8/5 。。。more

Antonino Bilello ，

This novel series， "Sea of Fertility"， is the crowning achievement of Yukio Mishima's literary career。 Each book， like jewels in a diadem， stands uniquely but of equal weight to its sister novels。 Readers of world literature， truth-seekers， and especially Japanophiles， all must read these books！ This novel series， "Sea of Fertility"， is the crowning achievement of Yukio Mishima's literary career。 Each book， like jewels in a diadem， stands uniquely but of equal weight to its sister novels。 Readers of world literature， truth-seekers， and especially Japanophiles， all must read these books！ 。。。more

Inês Dias ，

'Three birds seemed to become one at the top of the sky。 Then， in disorder， they separated。 There was something wondrous about the meeting and separating。 It must mean something， this coming so close that they felt the wind from each other's wings， and then blue distance once more。 Three ideas will sometimes join in our hearts。（。。。）Multiple changes in the color of the sea， moment by moment。 Changes in the clouds。 And the appearance of a ship。 What was happening？ What were happenings？Each instant 'Three birds seemed to become one at the top of the sky。 Then， in disorder， they separated。 There was something wondrous about the meeting and separating。 It must mean something， this coming so close that they felt the wind from each other's wings， and then blue distance once more。 Three ideas will sometimes join in our hearts。（。。。）Multiple changes in the color of the sea， moment by moment。 Changes in the clouds。 And the appearance of a ship。 What was happening？ What were happenings？Each instant brought them， more momentous than the explosion of Krakatoa。 It was only that no one noticed。 We are too accustomed to the absurdity of existence。 The loss of a universe is not worth taking seriously。Happenings are the signals for endless reconstruction， reorganization。 Signals from a distant bell。 A ship appears and sets the bell to ringing。 In an instant the sound makes everything its own。 On the sea they are incessant， the bell forever ringing。A being。（。。。）Memory is like a phantom mirror。 It sometimes shows things too distant to be seen， and sometimes it shows them as if they were here。"This tetralogy will simply haunt me forever。 Raw， sad and poetic， an echo of Mishima's ideals of beauty， death， honor and life itself。 。。。more

☮ + ❤ ，

- 📖 -رباعية بحر الخصوبة ، لـ يوكيو ميشيماثلج الربيع （ 539 ص ） | ⭐️5الجياد الهاربة （ 532 ص ） | ⭐️ 4معبد الفجر （ 457 ص ） | ⭐️ 4سقوط الملاك （ 335 ص ） | ⭐️ 4ماذا تعرف ع اليابان ！ بلد متقدمة ومتطورة ومنظمة شعبها لطيف انضربت بقنبلة وتسونامي ！ هذا كان أقصى ماكنت أعرفه عنها قبل ما اقرأ الرباعية ！ولفهم أكبر عنهم （ خلال قراءتي ） تابعت أفلام وثائقية عن اليابان وتاريخها وجغرافيتها وثقافتها الإجتماعية والدينية ！وعدد لا بأس به من افلامهم （ بالمناسبة اكتشفت انها سينما رائعه ） والكثير الكثير من بحوثات جوجل ！خرج - 📖 -رباعية بحر الخصوبة ، لـ يوكيو ميشيماثلج الربيع （ 539 ص ） | ⭐️5الجياد الهاربة （ 532 ص ） | ⭐️ 4معبد الفجر （ 457 ص ） | ⭐️ 4سقوط الملاك （ 335 ص ） | ⭐️ 4ماذا تعرف ع اليابان ！ بلد متقدمة ومتطورة ومنظمة شعبها لطيف انضربت بقنبلة وتسونامي ！ هذا كان أقصى ماكنت أعرفه عنها قبل ما اقرأ الرباعية ！ولفهم أكبر عنهم （ خلال قراءتي ） تابعت أفلام وثائقية عن اليابان وتاريخها وجغرافيتها وثقافتها الإجتماعية والدينية ！وعدد لا بأس به من افلامهم （ بالمناسبة اكتشفت انها سينما رائعه ） والكثير الكثير من بحوثات جوجل ！خرجت من الرباعية بإثراء حقيقي عنهممن كل النواحي ، اجتماعياً وثقافياً ودينياًالرباعية وصف دقيق لفترة من تاريخ اليابان بكل غموضها من خلال العديد من الشخصيات و على مر أكثر من جيل وزمنستجد السياسة والإجتماع والجغرافيا والدين وحتّى العاطفة معاً في كل هذا سيمر عليك تناسخ الأرواح والشينتوستعرف الإلهين أزاناجي وأزانامي والثعبان الأخضر اليابانيستجد أن الروح تعود في البوذية （ سمسارة ）وأن للموتى عيد لديهموللإنتحار إغواءه أيضاً （ ظاهرة الجيساتو ）سيعجبك وصف الكيمونو و رقة التابيحفيف الصفصفات وجمال البونساي والساكورا قمة فوجي وسواحل إيزووستنتهي مع آخر صفحة من الكتاب الرابعمابين الإيمان والشك ، الحلم والواقعستوقن أن الذكريات وقود الأياموأن الجمال هو ما تختار أن تراه• تعمدت ما أذكر الأحداث عشان ما أحرق• أعتقد انها تصلح للمتقدمين في القراءة وليس المبتدئين• واجهت صعوبة معها على مدى أكثر من شهر لكنها تستحق أن تُقرأ• سأضيف اقتباسات من الكتب الأربعة لاحقاً - 。。。more

tortoise dreams ，

As with Sylvia Plath， Mishima's life and death can overshadow the work itself。 But in The Decay of the Angel， as with Ariel， there are many gestures signaling the author's state of mind。 Here the pillars of society deteriorate with age， Coca-Cola has taken over Japan， the ugly believe they're beautiful， ideals have become evil， heroes have become hollow， people are reduced to watching not acting， the flawed believe they're perfect， all is disintegrating into filth and refuse。 The fourth and fina As with Sylvia Plath， Mishima's life and death can overshadow the work itself。 But in The Decay of the Angel， as with Ariel， there are many gestures signaling the author's state of mind。 Here the pillars of society deteriorate with age， Coca-Cola has taken over Japan， the ugly believe they're beautiful， ideals have become evil， heroes have become hollow， people are reduced to watching not acting， the flawed believe they're perfect， all is disintegrating into filth and refuse。 The fourth and final book of The Sea of Fertility quartet is dark， hopeless， cynical， spiteful。 The "Sea" consists of dust on a barren satellite。 All the world is an illusion。 My first thought on completing this book was， "I need to read all four books again。" My second was， "Is this a flaw or a feature？" Reading all four books was a necessary commitment。 。。。more

Kinga ，

“The world does not approve of flying。 Wings are dangerous weapons。 They invite self-destruction before they can be used。” No one is surprised that this had a sad ending - especially not after reading the first three books。 Once again the story was at the same time predictable and somehow full of surprises。 Toru’s personality completely baffled me， and the turns in the end left me feeling empty。Still I think this tetralogy reached its peak with the second novel， Runaway Horses， which I would “The world does not approve of flying。 Wings are dangerous weapons。 They invite self-destruction before they can be used。” No one is surprised that this had a sad ending - especially not after reading the first three books。 Once again the story was at the same time predictable and somehow full of surprises。 Toru’s personality completely baffled me， and the turns in the end left me feeling empty。Still I think this tetralogy reached its peak with the second novel， Runaway Horses， which I would love to re-read someday again。 I can see why these books are held in such high respect。“The ones who think it’s good to be beautiful are the ones who aren’t。 Isn’t it the truth？” 。。。more

Devrim Güven ，

Ancak， ne bu ciltte ne de Şafak Tapınağı （『暁の寺』， 1970） başlıklı üçüncü ciltte genç ölümleri engelleyemez。 Meleğin Düşüşü （『天人五衰』， 1971） başlıklı dördüncü ve son ciltteyse artık maddî zenginlik onu yozlaştırmış， sezgilerini köreltmiştir; nitekim Kiyoaki’nin reenkarnasyonu olduğunu düşündüğü öksüz delikanlının aslında bir sahtekâr olduğu ortaya çıkacaktır。 "Doğumunu Hatırlayan Ölümünü Hazırlayan Yazar: Yukio Mişima" başlıklı denememden alıntıdır。 PDF için: https://www。researchgate。net/publicat。。。 Ancak， ne bu ciltte ne de Şafak Tapınağı （『暁の寺』， 1970） başlıklı üçüncü ciltte genç ölümleri engelleyemez。 Meleğin Düşüşü （『天人五衰』， 1971） başlıklı dördüncü ve son ciltteyse artık maddî zenginlik onu yozlaştırmış， sezgilerini köreltmiştir; nitekim Kiyoaki’nin reenkarnasyonu olduğunu düşündüğü öksüz delikanlının aslında bir sahtekâr olduğu ortaya çıkacaktır。 "Doğumunu Hatırlayan Ölümünü Hazırlayan Yazar: Yukio Mişima" başlıklı denememden alıntıdır。 PDF için: https://www。researchgate。net/publicat。。。 。。。more

Marco Bissaro ，

It's。。。 Strange。More narrative than the previous one， and yet it made me think more about my life， in particular my future old age。 All and all， I'd say I am not sure the conclusion Honda came to， regarding Kyioaki's reincarnation， is correct。 It's。。。 Strange。More narrative than the previous one， and yet it made me think more about my life， in particular my future old age。 All and all， I'd say I am not sure the conclusion Honda came to， regarding Kyioaki's reincarnation， is correct。 。。。more

Disa ，

ok I lied。 This one is also my favorite equal to The Temple of Dawn。

Alvaro VN ，

Vaya viaje fue el mar de la fertilidad， sí bien Caballos y la Corrupción fueron los puntos más altos， creo que es una saga sin desperdicio， una visión completa de la vida desde la pureza y el idealismo hasta la corrupción y decadencia。 Creo que es la primera saga que he terminado y sin lugar a dudas siempre la llevaré conmigo。

Alicia ，

3。5 ⭐️

Diego Alexander ，

Única

Hironobu Ishikawa ，

This is Yukio Mishima's last work。The writing is suggestive and portentous。In this series， each of the main characters died at the age of 20。They are reborn。The use of words and expressions are wonderful。And this protagonist shows the pattern of four different people。This is the idea of ichireishikon， which is secretly handed down in the Shinto world。According to this classification， the main character is a sachimitama。 This is the same classification as the gods of Izumo Taisha Shrine and Omiwa This is Yukio Mishima's last work。The writing is suggestive and portentous。In this series， each of the main characters died at the age of 20。They are reborn。The use of words and expressions are wonderful。And this protagonist shows the pattern of four different people。This is the idea of ichireishikon， which is secretly handed down in the Shinto world。According to this classification， the main character is a sachimitama。 This is the same classification as the gods of Izumo Taisha Shrine and Omiwa Shrine。 。。。more

Nathanael Kusanda ，

I started the Sea of Fertility tetralogy at around the beginning of 2019， so coming to its culmination almost two years later is pretty surreal。 Like the ending of "Spring Snow"， I get the same sensation from the ending of this novel， that it is at once a betrayal of the themes Mishima expounds upon so elaborately （perhaps at times excessively）， and yet perfectly inevitable。 I think above all， what I've gotten from this tale of a life never fully lived， laying dormant in a front row seat to deat I started the Sea of Fertility tetralogy at around the beginning of 2019， so coming to its culmination almost two years later is pretty surreal。 Like the ending of "Spring Snow"， I get the same sensation from the ending of this novel， that it is at once a betrayal of the themes Mishima expounds upon so elaborately （perhaps at times excessively）， and yet perfectly inevitable。 I think above all， what I've gotten from this tale of a life never fully lived， laying dormant in a front row seat to death and reincarnation， romance， attempted revolution and royalty， is a sense of devastation。 It's devastating to come to the end of one's life and simultaneously come to "a place that had no memories， nothing"。 The alternatives are Satoko's complete resignation from this reality to "another world"， or the ending of one's life in a futile but final act of defiance， as is the case with Kiyoaki， Isao， and Mishima。 Characters play perverted power games， assured of their own significance， but upon coming to terms with the fact that they are either one of several glorious reincarnations doomed to die a young， beautiful death， or nothing， they try to force fate in their direction， as is the case with Toru。 But acting upon their new awareness only makes him quite literally blinder than before。The novel's concision and sparseness is more akin to an earlier work like "Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea" than the other more indulgent novels in the tetralogy， but it bears a lucidity that is fitting for what would be his last novel。 Mishima knows the delusion， depravity and darkness that extends from acknowledging the barrenness of existing。 He knows it enough to explore it and express it beautifully， which he does in every novel he has written。 Here he explores it one last time， before returning to the barrenness of its roots。 He returns to it not in calamity， but in calmness。 The coda that follows these finite pages is anticipated with an unparalleled， devastating clarity。 。。。more

Dustulator ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A conclusion to the writer’s purported epic， a conclusion to his thesis on the world， and the conclusion of himself。 Decay of the Angel finishes the spiral that started with Spring Snow and has tortured the observer， not only the fictional one in Honda but also those who truly take his role， the reader， for over 1000 pages at this point， having built obsession and myopic， addictive focus on following a proposed reincarnating spirit to the bitter end。Honda is old now， he’s hopped from expected， b A conclusion to the writer’s purported epic， a conclusion to his thesis on the world， and the conclusion of himself。 Decay of the Angel finishes the spiral that started with Spring Snow and has tortured the observer， not only the fictional one in Honda but also those who truly take his role， the reader， for over 1000 pages at this point， having built obsession and myopic， addictive focus on following a proposed reincarnating spirit to the bitter end。Honda is old now， he’s hopped from expected， benign purpose to lethargic lacking of any， aside from this futile search。 Struck once again by a resemblance based in a small physical sign， shown in a disgusting but beautiful boy， it’s reinvigorated， he’s finally pounced upon his exterior purpose once again as a melting old man。Decay is throughout all parts of this， and by the end of it the decay is what has become of the entire journey itself。 We reach our long sought conclusion， cancelling the entire saga we just endured and flipped through。 The reader is angry， Honda has been spent just has Mishima has spent the entire personal funding he’s philosophically and existentially accrued to pour into this work， and it was all to end up at nothing。 You can call this desolate and pessimistic， but the meaning is clear; why spend your entire self on something outside of it？ 。。。more

merixien ，

Bereket Denizi’nin sonu。 Eğer Bereket Denizi dörtlemesini okumak istiyorsanız， öncelikli olarak yazarı tanımanızı ve de budizme dair biraz fikir sahibi olmanızı tavsiye ederim。 Özellikle de Şafak Tapınağı ve Meleğin Çürüyüşü birbiriyle oldukça bağlantılı。 Her ne kadar serinin okunması en zor kitabı da olsa， üçüncü kitabı gerçekten dikkatinizi vererek okumak bu serinin temelini oluşturuyor。 Çünkü bir noktada Mişima’nın yıllar süren kafa karışıklığı ve düşüncelerinin ardından Budizme teslim olması Bereket Denizi’nin sonu。 Eğer Bereket Denizi dörtlemesini okumak istiyorsanız， öncelikli olarak yazarı tanımanızı ve de budizme dair biraz fikir sahibi olmanızı tavsiye ederim。 Özellikle de Şafak Tapınağı ve Meleğin Çürüyüşü birbiriyle oldukça bağlantılı。 Her ne kadar serinin okunması en zor kitabı da olsa， üçüncü kitabı gerçekten dikkatinizi vererek okumak bu serinin temelini oluşturuyor。 Çünkü bir noktada Mişima’nın yıllar süren kafa karışıklığı ve düşüncelerinin ardından Budizme teslim olmasını da içerdiği için son kitaba gömülmüş pek çok alt anlam ve sembolizm budizmden ve Budizme yönelik manevi bir arayışın pratiği üzerine bir deneme olan Şafak Tapınağı’ndan köken alıyor。 Kitabın alt metninde; güzelliğe karşılık çürüyenden alınan zevk， kötülüğe karşı yapılan kötülükle birlikte zıttıyla dengelenen bir mükemmeliyetçilik takıntısı var。 İlk kitaptan beri hikayesini takip ettiğimiz Honda’nın yıpranmış sonunu ve çürüyüşünü， kaderindeki ayrışmayı aktarıyor。 Doğu felsefesinin bu kadar öne çıktığı bir kitapta da bu ayrışmanın - ruh ile bedenin ayrışması- aynı zamanda ahlaki bütünlüğün ve inancın da ayrışması olarak gözlenmesi kaçınılmaz oluyor。 Ancak seri boyunca göndermeler ve imgeler daha derine gömülüyor。 İlk iki kitapta söyleyeceklerini çok açık bir şekilde yüksek sesle ifade etmesine karşın， seride mistizm arttıkça göndermeler de soyutlaşıyor。 Mişima ikinci kitapta kendi sonunun provasını yaparken - ve konu daha siyasiyken- bu kitapta intiharının ayrıntıları farklı sembollere ve varlıklara gizlenmiş durumda。 Seppukuyu Isao’da olduğu gibi bir direkt anlatı yerine Suruga Koyu ve gemiler ilişkisi üzerinden çağrıştırıyor。 Anlatının yönünde böylesine keskin bir değişim yaşanmasına karşın seri boyunca yaşadığınız edebi tatmin korunuyor。 Özellikle de altmış yıl önceki hikayenin yeniden yazımı ve sizi bütün kafa karışıklığınızla baş başa bir sessizliğe hapseden sonuyla çok basit ama uzun süre zihninizi meşgul edecek bir kapanış sunuyor。 Eğer doğu felsefesinin getirdiği çileciliğe ve inançlarına çok mesafeli biriyseniz ve akıp giden hızlı okuma yapma beklentisindeyseniz size çok da uygun bir seri değildir。 Ancak bu tanımın dışındaysanız mutlaka okuyun derim。 Benim hayatımın farklı bir döneminde， biraz daha yaş aldıktan sonra tekrar okumayı ve bu okumamdan farklı neler bulacağımı görmek istediğim bir dörtleme oldu。 Çok sevdim。“Onları， alın yazılarının peşine takılıp uçmaktan alıkoyacak， kanatlarını kopartacak， gökyüzüne yükselmelerini engelleyecek， kalabalık yığınlarla birlikte yürümelerini sağlayacak ön bilgilerle donatması gerekirdi。 Dünya， uçmayı onaylamaz。 Kanatlar， tehlikeli silahlardır。 Kanatlar daha kullanılmadan bile， öz yıkımı çağırırlar。” 。。。more

P。E。 ，

WISHFUL THINKING1970， Honda is now 80。 He meets Toru， a young signalman he immediately surmises to be a reincarnation of Ying Chan， Isao and his deceased friend Kiyoaki。 A contemplative orphan， Toru also looks like Honda in terms of personality。 Honda decides to adopt him， paving the way for a merciless strife for domination between the two men。。。 Koishikawa Kōraku-en， TokyoMAJOR THEMES:⬤ Universal decay。Be it trash， rotten vegetables， old flesh， everything comes down to be mere matter。 Even WISHFUL THINKING1970， Honda is now 80。 He meets Toru， a young signalman he immediately surmises to be a reincarnation of Ying Chan， Isao and his deceased friend Kiyoaki。 A contemplative orphan， Toru also looks like Honda in terms of personality。 Honda decides to adopt him， paving the way for a merciless strife for domination between the two men。。。 Koishikawa Kōraku-en， TokyoMAJOR THEMES:⬤ Universal decay。Be it trash， rotten vegetables， old flesh， everything comes down to be mere matter。 Even angels rot。 Everything is germinating， maggoty， eaten by corruption。 Decay and corruption lie at the very heart of life。 Life itself is corruption。⬤ Futility of politics， pointlessness of time and absurdity of being。In the Sea of Fertility cycle， Nowhere else than in The Decay of the Angel are references to politics and contemporary events in Japan that scarce in the narrative。The main reference to foreign affairs is one about the US military operations in Cambodia， which rings quite ironically， after reading The Temple of Dawn， taking place as the Japanese imperial army fights in the South-Eastern Asia area， a mere 25 years before。 ⬤ Toru， a living embodiment of non-being。⬤ Unescapable vulgarity， derision and debasement in Westernized Japan。⬤ Set-ups and cover-ups。- Toru has his fiancée working to her own demise， dictating her a letter exposing degrading motives behind her union with Toru : in this letter， her father is said to have worked this scheme of marrying his daughter to Toru because he is after Honda's money。- This story also displays crual plots designed by Honda and Toru against one another。 Toru even resorts to gaslighting and blackmail。。。 This sadistic and masochistic backgroung is not a little reminiscent of Spring Snow， the first book in the Sea of Fertility series， of Dangerous Liaisons or of The Seducer's Diary。⬤ Obsessing over meaning: the ceaseless need to construe reality。 Koishikawa Kōraku-en， TokyoSIMILAR WORKS:Painstaking deconstruction and analysis of life， the fixation with decay:The SimulacraDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep？Martian Time-SlipNauseaNon-being and unnaturalness:Against NatureNo Longer HumanMephistoThe TrainEpistolary novels， diaries and masquerades :The Seducer's DiaryDangerous LiaisonsThe Unbearable Lightness of BeingMind tricks from other adept writers :Black Water LiliesMind of WinterBeauty and finiteness :Urbex : 50 lieux secrets et abandonnés en FranceRuines et vestigesSOUNDTRACK : The Unforgiven - Metallica〜 〜 〜 〜 〜 〜 〜VŒU PIEUX1970， Honda a maintenant quatre-vingt ans。 Il fait la rencontre de Toru， un jeune observateur de navires et orphelin qui lui paraît immédiatement être la réincarnation de Ying Chan， d'Isao， et de son ami Kiyoaki。 Contemplatif， il lui apparaît aussitôt qu'il est comme la copie crachée de sa propre personnalité。 Il décide de l'adopter。 S'engage alors une relation de domination et de surenchère à la cruauté entre les deux hommes， dont chacun n'existe qu'autant qu'il nie l'autre。 Koishikawa Kōraku-en， Tokyo----LES THÈMES :⬤ Le pourrissement universel。 Tout se réduit ici à de la matière : déchets， pourriture， végétaux en décomposition et vieilles chairs plus particulièrement。 Même les anges pourrissent。 Tout est germinatif， véreux， mangé de corruption。 Le pourrissement et la corruption existent au sein même de la vie。 La vie même est corruption。 - Les personnages Honda et Keiko， vieillards， ont un dégoût pour la vieillesse affiché qu'accompagne une jalousie de la jeunesse。 Ils s'appuient l'un sur l'autre pour tromper leur ennui et leur déclin。⬤ Vanité de la politique， du temps et de l'être。Il me semble que nulle part ailleurs que dans L'ange en décomposition la politique et les évènements contemporains sont si peu présents dans la narration。 La principale référence est celles des opérations armées des États-Unis au Cambodge。 Ce qui， à peine 25 ans après Le Temple de l'aube : La mer de la fertilité III et les opérations militaires de l'armée impériale japonaise en Asie sud-orientale。。。 laisse un arrière-goût amer d'éternel retour。⬤ Toru et le non-être， Toru et l'anti-nature， Toru， contradiction vivante de la vie。- Lorsque Honda rencontre Toru， il est presque renversé par la ressemblance de sa personnalité avec la sienne。Toru témoigne un mépris infini pour le monde。 Il pratique une forme de solipsisme ultra-analytique très proche de celui de Honda， à la différence que pour Toru， il n'y a pas d'arrière-plan métaphysique ou mystique， seulement une immensité indigo indicible。。。 Tous deux sont des voyeurs pratiquement dépourvus de volonté et qui mènent une vie sans enjeu， sans marées， "sans poésie et sans félicité"。 Du reste， Honda décèle le mal absolu en Toru et le reconnaît pour sien。- Toru la conscience exacerbée， Kinué l'enfermement en soi ？Dans les deux cas， il y a refus du monde。 Négation du monde extérieur， confondu avec le monde intérieur。⬤ Vulgarité， affreuse dérision et contrefaçon des idéaux。 - Le sanctuaire de Mio， visité par Honda et son amie Keiko， est devenu un parc d'attraction bruyant。- Toru， incarnation dérisoire de la conscience Alaya ？- Toru détruit le journal de Kiyoaki。 Il détruit et salit tout ce que Honda a pu rassembler。⬤ Montages et mises en scènes。- Toru fait collaborer sa fiancée Momoko à un stratagème qui va la perdre : il lui dicte une lettre qui avilit les motifs derrière son union avec Toru : il ne serait question que de faire un bon parti pour son père désargenté。 - Mises en scènes cruelles de Honda et de Toru l'un contre l'autre。 "Gaslighting"， chantage。。。 Chez les deux personnages， masochisme et sadisme。 Qui ne sont pas sans faire penser à Neige de Printemps， aux Liaisons dangereuses ou au Journal du séducteur。⬤ La manie d'interpréter。- Arrivé à un point de l'histoire， la vieille amie Keiko s'entiche de culture japonaise traditionnelle et entend tout de travers， du moins l'interprète， erronément， à sa façon。 Ce qui ne manque pas de faire doucement sourire Honda。 C'est un thème qui revient obstinément。 Qui est exempt de ces biais， de cette manière d'envisager le monde par le petit bout de la lorgnette， ou bien en s'affranchissant de ce qui vient contre notre façon de voir ？- Sur la fin de ses jours， Honda connaît une invasion onirique。 Dans le monde éveillé comme en sommeil， tout lui sert d'aliment à théorie， tout lui sert de signe， est perçu comme signal。 Au point de ne plus bien faire la différence entre le signe， le signifiant et le signifié。 Bref， entre le monde et ce qu'il veut bien en voir。 Toru， lui， est visité par des visions inquiétantes qui le visitent sans prévenir。 On dirait un peu les apparitions inquiétantes de Raskolnikov dans l'excellent Crime et Châtiment。。。- Mishima lui-même， maître du grand montage， induit le lecteur en erreur en l'incitant à faire des rapprochements entre des évènements peut-être fortuits。 En fin de compte， jusqu'à la prose de ce livre est désossée par ces rapprochements， ces perceptions gratuites mais toujours interprétées de la manière la plus concluante possible。 Honda clôt le cycle en retournant à Gesshuji， où Satoko a passé sa vie comme abbesse。 Il est accueilli par l'image du néant。 Koishikawa Kōraku-en， TokyoMON AVIS :A l'origine， je comptais terminer ce cycle en hiver， pour avoir une belle régularité dans la lecture de ses quatre livres : Neige de printemps en mai， Chevaux échappés en juillet， Le Temple de l'Aube en septembre et puis L'ange en décomposition pour cet hiver。 Et puis je me suis dit : bah， à quoi bon patienter。 J'en suis à un stade où clairement ce sont les lectures qui battent la mesure de ma vie， et ce cycle de La mer de la fertilité a donné forme à cette étrange année 2020， au moins autant que les évènements de politique intérieure et internationale。Bref， je l'ai proprement dévalé， et n'était le travail， je l'aurais lu en une traite。 L'évolution de la personnalité de Honda m'a vraiment frappé à partir du Temple de l'Aube。 Ici， impossible de ne pas garder en vue la date de remise du manuscrit， qui coïncide avec celle du suicide de Mishima。 Il y a fort à parier que l'auteur y a mis beaucoup de sa conception du monde et de sa personne tout simplement。 Je suis pris à la fois de sympathie et saisi par la vie étrange de cet homme。 Cette étrangeté n'est pas la mienne， mais elle me permet de mieux remarquer combien étranges sont les vies que l'on mène。 De combien de préconceptions et de raccourcis， par quels détours et quels rapprochements hasardeux， de quelle incohérence et de quelles contradictions nous nourrissons ce qu'il faut bien appeler sa vision du monde。 ----ŒUVRES VOISINES :Décomposition des mécanismes de la vie et morbidité :SimulacresBlade Runner : Les androïdes rêvent-ils de moutons électriques ？Glissement de temps sur MarsLa NauséeLe non-être et l'anti-nature :À reboursLa Déchéance d'un hommeMephistoLe TrainJeux de regards et de miroir， tenue d'un journal ; pouvoir extraordinaire de simulation des mots。 Montage épistolaire :Le journal du séducteurLes Liaisons dangereusesL'Insoutenable légèreté de l'êtreSavants montages de la part d'autres écrivains :Les Nymphéas noirsEsprit d'hiverBeauté et finitude :Urbex : 50 lieux secrets et abandonnés en FranceRuines et vestigesTHÈME MUSICAL :The Unforgiven - Metallica 。。。more

Sergiu Pop ，

A good end to the series and the author's career， really redeemed that horrible previous book。 A good end to the series and the author's career， really redeemed that horrible previous book。 。。。more

Sahil Sood ，

Bleak and dispiriting， the final installment in "The Sea of Fertility"， set in the late 1960s of the post-war Japan， which is quick and eager to absorb the rising influx of Western ideals， is about decay of purity and nature of evil。 Honda， now rich and dissolute， is besieged by old age and lassitude。 Driven by a nihilistic impulse to witness destruction of his physical and spiritual ideal of beauty， he adopts the handsome sixteen-year-old orphan Tōru， identifying him with the two previous reinc Bleak and dispiriting， the final installment in "The Sea of Fertility"， set in the late 1960s of the post-war Japan， which is quick and eager to absorb the rising influx of Western ideals， is about decay of purity and nature of evil。 Honda， now rich and dissolute， is besieged by old age and lassitude。 Driven by a nihilistic impulse to witness destruction of his physical and spiritual ideal of beauty， he adopts the handsome sixteen-year-old orphan Tōru， identifying him with the two previous reincarnations of his childhood friend Kiyoaki， each of whom died at the age of twenty。 He raises the boy as his own child， tending to his every little wish and need， only waiting for him to die。 “The Decay of the Angel” reads like an elegy for a bygone era， the cultural spirit of the pre-war Japan that has no physical remnants and which can now only be re-constructed through dreams and memories of its few living descendants。 。。。more

Mark ，

In the final book of Yukio Mishima’s tetralogy， The Sea of Fertility， the likable protagonist， Shigekuni Honda， is now in his seventies。 He is a man of great wealth， but with no descendants to benefit from his vast fortune。Unlike the three previous books in the series， Mishima wastes no time in introducing a character who becomes Honda’s fixation as yet another reincarnation of his deceased best friend when they were teenagers。 Readers of the previous three books may recall that this friend， Kiy In the final book of Yukio Mishima’s tetralogy， The Sea of Fertility， the likable protagonist， Shigekuni Honda， is now in his seventies。 He is a man of great wealth， but with no descendants to benefit from his vast fortune。Unlike the three previous books in the series， Mishima wastes no time in introducing a character who becomes Honda’s fixation as yet another reincarnation of his deceased best friend when they were teenagers。 Readers of the previous three books may recall that this friend， Kiyoaki， died in book one; in book two， Honda perceived his reincarnation in a young activist called Isao; and in book three， the reincarnated Kiyoaki took the form of a young Thai princess， Ying Chan。In this final volume， we meet an orphan， Toru， and again， without any time-wasting， Mishima even reveals the tell-tale three moles on Toru’s body。 The three moles connect the dots， so to speak， between their original appearance on Kiyoaki， and then on each of Kiyoaki’s alleged reincarnations。 Given Honda’s lack of descendants， he decides to adopt Toru， and knowing the right high-powered connections， he makes this happen fairly easily。Toru， who is a humble ship signalman， doesn’t look a gift horse in the mouth， and readily goes along with Honda’s proposal。 Taking up residence with Honda， Toru is equipped， clothed， and fed in high style。 In addition he is educated enough to gain entrance to university。 The plot thickens rapidly。 Honda begins marriage arrangements for Toru with a reputable family， but perversely， Toru decides to make his prospective bride jealous by taking a second girlfriend。Keiko， longtime lesbian friend of Honda， privately tells Toru about Honda’s fascination with Kiyoaki’s various reincarnations， and that he， Toru is the latest。 However， if he doesn’t die by age twenty， as all the others did， he will be seen to be a fake。 By this time， Toru has tired of being a player in this tableau， and becomes hostile to Honda， even trying to get him declared senile。 There is a failed attempted suicide with tragic consequences。Meanwhile， Honda’s health declines， and he decides to return to the Gesshu Temple after sixty years。 The temple figured prominently in book one of the series。 Satoka， who was the love interest of Kiyoaki in that opening story， is now the temple’s abbess。 But when Honda mentions Kiyoaki’s name， Satoka denies all knowledge of such a person。The Decay of the Angel has an abrupt and confused， but deeply philosophical ending。 Honda—and indeed， the reader—is left to wonder whether any of this four-volume story really happened。 Mishima’s prose is enchanting， and the four novels serve as a platform for surfacing cultural ideas that he favored and those that disappointed him。 Taken as a whole， The Sea of Fertility is an extraordinarily sustained work of literature。 Despite his stature as a prominent twentieth-century Japanese writer， it was Mishima’s failed efforts at political and cultural reform that led to his suicidal death by ritual seppuku。Note: The books in order are: Spring Snow， Runaway Horses， The Temple of Dawn， and The Decay of the Angel。 The tetralogy has the general title of The Sea of Fertility。 。。。more

Marshall ，

A powerful ending to the tetralogy， wraps up the themes of reincarnation， nihilism， beauty， death and decay with a breathtaking yet simple finale。 The sterile image of The Sea of Fertility seems a perfect title for the entire work。

Juan Durazo ，

Hermoso。Todos los libros que componen esta tetralogia llamada "El mar de la fertilidad" son especiales a su manera， fue una hermosa aventura leer esta tetralogia。 Muy recomendada。 Hermoso。Todos los libros que componen esta tetralogia llamada "El mar de la fertilidad" son especiales a su manera， fue una hermosa aventura leer esta tetralogia。 Muy recomendada。 。。。more

Home Faber ，

* Japon edebiyatının usta kalemi Yukio Mişima'nın bereket denizi dörtlemesinin son kitabı。 İlk üç seriyi okuduktan sonra aldığım haz sonrası dördüncü kitabı bekletme kararı aldım。 Ama en sonunda dayanamayarak okuma kararı aldım ve bitti。 ** Bahar Karları'nda Aristokrat aileden gelen Kyoaki， Kaçak Atlar'da geleneklere bağlı ve darbe hazırlığında İsao， Şafak Tapınağı'da Prenses Ying Chan ve son kitapta reenkarnedeki son merhale olarak Toru olmuştur。 *** Serinin ilk üç kitabında Kyoaki'nin akıl hoc * Japon edebiyatının usta kalemi Yukio Mişima'nın bereket denizi dörtlemesinin son kitabı。 İlk üç seriyi okuduktan sonra aldığım haz sonrası dördüncü kitabı bekletme kararı aldım。 Ama en sonunda dayanamayarak okuma kararı aldım ve bitti。 ** Bahar Karları'nda Aristokrat aileden gelen Kyoaki， Kaçak Atlar'da geleneklere bağlı ve darbe hazırlığında İsao， Şafak Tapınağı'da Prenses Ying Chan ve son kitapta reenkarnedeki son merhale olarak Toru olmuştur。 *** Serinin ilk üç kitabında Kyoaki'nin akıl hocası， sadık arkadaşı ve yoldaşı olan Honda ise hayatının son demlerini yaşamaktadır。 Diğer kitaplarda Kyoaki'nin reenkarnasyonla başka vücutta can bulması ama her defasında belli işaretleri takip ederek Honda'nın onu bulması ve son kitapta ise 16 yaşındaki Toru olarak onu görürüz。 **** Honda'nın hayatının son zamanlarında Toru ile karşılaşması ile bir iç hesaplaşma， geçmişe yönelik sorgulama başlar。 Reenkarne olan diğer bedenlerde sadık yoldaşının hayatına müdahil olamaması， yapamaması onu derin bir pişmanlıkla yüz yüze bırakmıştır。 Bundan dolayı yaptığı hataları Toru'da yapmamaya kararlıdır。 ***** Serinin diğer kitaplarında mevcut olan geleneklere sıkı sıkıya bağlılık devam etmekte ve 70'lerin Japonya'sında son sürat hız modernleşme aşamalarına ince bir sitem ve bolca eleştiri getirmektedir。 Kahramanımız Honda modern hayata yönelik karamsar bir tabloyu gözler önüne serer。 ****** Mişima özellikle Honda üzerinden 70'li yıllar ile birlikte Japon endüstrisinin gelişmeye başladığı ama diğer yandan geleneklerden gelen kopuş ve yozlaşma derinden bir öfkeye dönüştürmüş。 ******* 20 yy'da yazılmış en iyi metinlerden biri olarak kabul edilen ve Japon siyasi ve toplumsal bir panaromasını， geçirdiği evre ve değişimleri büyük bir ustalıkla çizen yazar eser için "yaşamla ve bu dünyayla ilgili hissettiğim ve düşündüğüm her şeyi yansıttım" demiştir。 Japon gurur ve geleneğini tüm içtenliğiyle yaşayan yazar verdiği sözden dolayı kitabın son dörtlüğünü yazdıktan sonra "Seppuku" yaparak intihar etmiştir。 Mutlaka okuyun。。。 。。。more

Martyna ，

nie przeczytałam poprzednich części serii， bo nikt mi nie będzie mówić， jak mam czytać， ale ta część mnie zachwyciła， spędziłam przez nią dobre kilka godzin szukając w internecie informacji o niebach w buddyzmie， żeby lepiej zrozumieć przepiękne metafory mishimy。 niektóre zdania zachwycona czytałam po kilka razy i chyba nikt tak pięknie nie pisze， jak mishima。

Diego ，

Me cago en mi vida。 Me cago en mi vida y en las multiples reencarnaciones， reales o no， que me han precedido y me sucederán。 Se han hecho múltiples intentos a lo largo de la historia de la literatura de retratar o recrear un país mediante la historia de unos cuantos individuos del mismo （los Episodios nacionales， por no irnos muy lejos）， pero no tengo tan claro que se haya intentando reflejar no la realidad externa， sino la consciencia de uno mismo volcada sobre hechos históricos， entretejidos c Me cago en mi vida。 Me cago en mi vida y en las multiples reencarnaciones， reales o no， que me han precedido y me sucederán。 Se han hecho múltiples intentos a lo largo de la historia de la literatura de retratar o recrear un país mediante la historia de unos cuantos individuos del mismo （los Episodios nacionales， por no irnos muy lejos）， pero no tengo tan claro que se haya intentando reflejar no la realidad externa， sino la consciencia de uno mismo volcada sobre hechos históricos， entretejidos como hebras del mismo hilo， que es el destino de un solo personaje irrelevante， insustancial， apenas un observador sin honor ni orgullo para ser relevante en la Historia， para dejar un impacto o una marca en el Tiempo que le ha tocado vivir。 Y， cuando lo hace， aquí， en La corrupción de un ángel， fracasa tan estrepitosamente que borra a su vez todo el pasado que le ha tocado vivir， llegando a la nada más absoluta donde， supongo， se podrá estar en calma。 Cada novela de El mar de la fertilidad es un obra magna en sí misma， tirando y siendo tirada de tradiciones literarias， estilísticas e históricas que las diferencian。 O quizás es que sus propios personaje exigen que sean narradas de formas tan distintas。 Kiyoaki necesita que su obra sea un drama decimonónico， casi que occidental， mientras que Isao rechaza de pleno esta idea para enfrascarse en algo que se asemeja más a un thriller， y Ying Chan pide un ensayo sobre su propia pertenencia como mujer lesbiana en un mundo dominado por hombres que han sido arrebatados de todo poder por otros hombres， empujándolos hasta detrás de las estanterías， donde solo pueden observar。 Al final， Toru es una versión especular y deformada de todos estos。 No tiene convicciones， no tiene ideales， es una fuerza sin consciencia que no brilla y no importa。 Es， Honda se da cuenta al principio， un igual a Honda。 Es imposible， en mis limitaciones， hablar de El mar de la fertilidad como si fuera capaz de desentrañar todo lo que aquí se ha tejido， como si pudiera coger de un hilo que cuelga y deshacer por completo el tapiz。 Supongo que sería más fácil hacer un trabajo de disección partiendo del suceso final de Mishima。 Pero， ¿cómo de banal es eso？ El suicidio， tema central en todas las obras， no da sentido a los actos pretéritos， sino que los actos devienen en la única resolución posible。 Me cago en mi vida， esto es un caos。 Durante cuatro novelas， casi dos mil páginas， me he preguntado por qué Honda， quién es Honda， qué hace Honda aquí。 Sería también muy fácil， chabacano incluso， resolver todo el asunto diciendo que Honda es Japón y en sus arrugas， sus acciones， su pensamiento， se encapsula la evolución de un país durante 70 años， un país traumatizado， un país que ha evolucionado en tan poco tiempo como ningún otro， un país con un sentido identitario tan fuerte que es imposible no reconocerlo。 Sería este un flaco favor a toda la narración。 Honda， me temo， no es Japón。 La solución es terrible， me doy cuenta ahora， porque nos lleva a preguntarnos qué hacemos ninguno aquí， por qué nosotros， quiénes somos。 。。。more

Mark Dickson ，

This book has a very grandiose method of description - which I do personally not get on well with - and （in one case， deliberately） unlikeable characters。 Alone， these two details set this up as a book that I did not gel well with。This book also relies very strongly on Japanese traditions and samurai culture， of which I know nothing， which meant that I could tell that lots of it was going over my head。I can very easily see how someone would love this book。 However， it just isn’t for me。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Decay of the Angel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Decay of the Angel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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