Yukio Mishima: Author, playwright, poet, essayist, actor, filmmaker, kendo master, bodybuilder, commander of a private army. A guy who ended it all the day he completed his Sea of Fertility tetralogy by taking Japanese military officials hostage and then committing seppuku. The guy was truly gifted, but also truly insane. I've been on a big kick of reading his stuff lately, and I'm hoping to read everything that's been translated into English by the end of the year. Anybody else a fan of his work?
Yep, it was part of his grand scheme. He was planning it well in advance too. I don't know if it was the day he completed The Sea of Fertility, but it was the day he dropped The Decay of the Angel off to his publisher. The first three volumes had already been published by that point, but yes, he committed suicide the day that book hit his publisher's desk. He actually dropped the book off on the way to his clash with the Self Defense Force.
I was a fan of his since HS. I did a paper on him on my senior year, but could not remember the exact topic. Anyway, Hollywood did a movie on his life while adding scenes from his books..... it was a good movie!!! A LOT OF SEX SCENE.
Philip Glass did the score to the movie, which is a bonus. Just started Temple of the Golden Pavilion this morning.
I liked Temple of the Golden Pavilion. I liked the book so much.... that I actually visited the temple in Kyoto 10 years ago. My wife's home town is about an hour from Kyoto(no, I did not meet her on the trip ). When i met her, I told her that I went to the temple because of the book. She actually bought the book and tried to read it. She did not like it.