Confessions of a Mask

Mishima is lucid in the midst of emotional confusion, funny in the midst of despair – Christopher IsherwoodNever has a “confession” been freer from self-pity and emotional over-indulgence * Sunday Times *A writer of immense energy and ability * Time Out *A terrific and astringent work of beauty… a work of art * Times Literary Supplement *

Yukio Mishima was born in 1925 in Tokyo, and is considered one of Japan’s most important writers. His books broke social boundaries and taboos at a time when Japan found itself in a state of rapid social change. His interests besides writing included body-building, acting, and practising as a Samurai. In 1970 he attempted to start a military coup, which failed. Upon realising this, Mishima performed seppuku, a ritual suicide, upon himself. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature three times. His major novels include Confessions of a Mask, Forbidden Colours, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea and the tetralogy The Sea of Fertility - Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, The Temple of Dawn and The Decay of the Angel.