Yukio Mishima: After The Banquet

[Daniel del Real]

I’m a great admirer of Mishima’s literature. He is one of my top ten writers ever and frankly I have to say, for me, this is his worse book so far.

Written in 1960 it deals with the story of Kazu, a woman in her early 50’s who is the owner of a very famous and prestigious restaurant in Tokyo, The Setsugoan. Kazu has achieved great recognition with her restaurant and has become a wealthy woman and a respected figure in society. As a young girl, she lived almost in poverty, and by all kind of efforts and with the mentality of always getting what she wants, she starts growing economically. However, to make this possible she has to sacrifice her love life, as she is still single and without family.

One day, at the restaurant, she meets Noguchi, and old man who was Japanese ambassador in several countries, a man of politics belonging to the Radical Party.
They meet each other, have a few dates and finally they get married. Is not that Kazu loves this man a lot, but he can fulfill his expectations and make one of his dreams come true: to be buried in the prestigious Noguchi family graveyard. His feelings go more with the death than with life.

Later, Noguchi is convinced to participate as a candidate to be a major for Tokyo. His party, the Radical party is a small entity that has to fight with larger and more powerful forces, their rivals, the Conservative Party. Kazu starts helping her husband against all odds, with different strategies, some of them not accepted in traditional Japanese culture.

The rest of the book is the epic journal of Kazu in the politics world; what is like being a woman in such a hostile environment and with a male dominant society like the Japanese. At a moment she asks herself if this is what she really wants and has to decide to continue in this political path with his husband or going back to the restaurant even tough she mortgaged it for getting funds for her husband’s campaign. A tough decision for a tough and strong woman like Kazu.

It is a good novel, but I think its missing the lyrical spirit of a lot of works by Mishima. It doesn’t have the poetry and the great descriptions of other novels and lacks the philosophy and the depth of his masterpieces.

[liehtzu]

Agreed. It's not a bad novel by any standard, but it's not one of Mishima's finest, certainly. Have you read Thirst For Love? That's one I often see around and think of buying. I like the title.

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by liehtzu

Agreed. It's not a bad novel by any standard, but it's not one of Mishima's finest, certainly. Have you read Thirst For Love? That's one I often see around and think of buying. I like the title.

I haven't but It has been rounding me for months. According to wiki it's Mishima's second novel so I guess it will be more similar to Confessions of a Mask than to any bood of The Sea of Fertility.