After The Banquet

by Yukio Mishima

For years Kazu has run her fashionable restaurant with a combination of charm and shrewdness. But when the she falls in love with one of her clients, an aristocratic retired politician, she renounces her business in order to become his wife. But it is not so easy to renounce her independent spirit, and eventually Kazu must choose between her marriage and the demands of her irrepressible vitality. After the Banquet is a magnificent portrait of political and domestic warfare.

Genres: Japan, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Classics, Literature, Asia, 20th Century

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Yukio Mishima (三島 由紀夫) was born in Tokyo in 1925. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University’s School of Jurisprudence in 1947. His first published book, The Forest in Full Bloom, appeared in 1944 and he established himself as a major author with Confessions of a Mask (1949). From then until his death he continued to publish novels, short stories, and plays each year. His crowning achievement, the Sea of Fertility tetralogy—which contains the novels Spring Snow (1969), Runaway Horses (1969), The Temple of Dawn (1970), and The Decay of the Angel (1971)—is considered one of the definitive works of twentieth-century Japanese fiction. In 1970, at the age of forty-five and the day after completing the last novel in the Fertility series, Mishima committed seppuku (ritual suicide)—a spectacular death that attracted worldwide attention.

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the first Mishima novel I've read that doesn't feature any characters in the adolescence/young adult age bracket: here, it's fifty years old and older. As with most Japanese writers of this era and before, the writing is exquisite, and the story itself, rich in symbolisms, flows along at a nice gentle pace that never changes gears and never presents any hurdles or challenges. Easy to read it might be, but Mishima seemed to keep the character study of his two central characters, Kazu and Noguchi, at arm's-length from the reader at times, meaning his observations can feel distant: he puts background details ahead of emotions and thoughts. The political aspects of the novel, in particular the election campaign of Noguchi running for the Radical Party as Mayor of Tokyo against the Conservative Party, with all its smear tactics and tested loyalties, was for me the most interesting thing about the novel. Of husband and wife, Kazu was certainly the more likeable of the two, as Noguchi came across as callus and a bit of a beast, putting his ambitions ahead of love and benevolence. If I'm honest, despite some ill treatment of Kazu, it was her restaurant, Setsugoan, and its beautiful gardens, that became the thing I cared for the most by the end. Fans of Mishima and Japanese lit in general - I've never been its biggest lover - will likely take away more positives from this than me.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics meant pretending to step out to the men's room and then completely disappearing, forcing a man's back to the wall while cheerfully sharing the same fire, making a show of laughter when one is angry or flying into a rage when one is not in the least upset, sitting for a long time without saying a word, quietly flicking specks of dust off one's sleeve... in short, acting very much like a geisha.

This is the world Kazu, the redoubtable middle-aged female protagonist of this novel by Yukio Mishima, enters when she falls hopelessly in love with Yuken Noguchi, idealist politician of the Radical Party. The problem is, Noguchi cannot see practical politics for what it is: a form of ideological prostitution. Kazu who has come up in the world the hard way bears no illusions - Noguchi, for all his bookish wisdom, has a lot of them.

Kazu is the proprietor of a Setsugoan, an After-Snow-Retreat, where she is in the habit of entertaining the high-and-the-mighty of Japan. One day after a banquet, Tamaki, former ambassador to Germany, collapses in the toilet. The subsequent hullabaloo manages to throw Noguchi and Kazu together, and this gentleman of sixty and woman of fifty find themselves falling head-over-heels in love like teenagers.

They become man and wife, and soon afterwards, Noguchi is chosen to run for office by the Radical Party. What is essentially an ideological fight for him, however, is just a fight for victory for his wife. Her methods which are not wholly fair and aboveboard invite Noguchi's wrath and their relationship soon begins to crack. And soon, Caesar's wife is attacked: then events proceed at a pace which nobody can control.

-------------------------

The novel is a masterful study of essential human nature in the dirtiest arena available in the modern world - democratic politics. Kazu, though she is ruthless in her efforts to get Noguchi to win, is essentially honest about herself: there is no self-deception. Her love is unconditional. Noguchi, on the other hand, is cold and callous about Kazu even though he is the epitome of political honesty and idealism. And society stands exposed as the most morally corrupt there is, where it cannot see the essential honesty of Kazu and must judge her by bogus moral standards.

Mishima seamlessly interweaves the physical background into the psychological landscape of his characters: thus Kazu's well-kept garden in the Setsugoan becomes her symbol, metamorphosing and changing shape in tune with the development of her character. In contrast, Noguchi's home is cheerless and stifling, permeated by the spirit of the ponderous tomes of serious literature in foreign languages that Kazu cannot understand. Similarly, Kazu's wardrobe is elaborate and lovingly described (especially the patterns on her kimono) whereas Noguchi wears shabby western attire most of the time.

(I am once again captivated by the pictorial use of language by Japanese authors. This is also evident in the use of camera frames resembling paintings in Japanese movies - Ran by Kurasowa, for example.)

The most engaging character is Yamazaki, Noguchi's Man Friday and genuine friend of Kazu (perhaps the only person who accepts her as she is). He can see politics for what it actually is.

Corruption in an election or the victory of moneyed power did not in the least surprise him; they seemed as natural as stones and horse dung along a road.

Rem acu tetigisti, as Jeeves would say.

At the end of the novel, we meet a chastened Kazu after the lavish banquet of an electoral battle, ready for life's banquet. One can only wish her luck.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

In post-war Japan, Kazu Fukazawa, a successful owner of the Setsugoan restaurant in Tokyo, is quite satisfied with her position, though she's never been married. But now one November, the Kagen Club, a group of older men, mostly diplomats and politicians, meets at the restaurant, and she becomes attracted to one of them, Yuken Noguchi, who seems to radiate dignity compared to the others. She decides to renounce her business to become his wife, but as time passes, she is filled with desire to resurrect his career, which brings her to the truth about herself and what she really wants the rest of her life to be.

I think this was a rather good portrait of one woman's life. Kazu is attractive for her age, full of rustic simplicity and energetic extroversion, which does over the course of story prove to also be her weakness, though that depends on what world she is working in - the world of Setsugoan, or the world of politics, which is not quite what she thinks at first it would be like. I think I would've liked to take a look at the restaurant and its garden, it sounded interesting.
(The title of the book appears twice, both times what is there after the party is quite different yet it some ways the same).

And I could see rather early what could go wrong: that the marriage would end, not just because of what happened at the election days but also what Kazu did when gathering the money for the benefit of Setsugoan, but also because the Noguchi and Kazu were such opposites - Noguchi a man of logic, books, thriftiness, low-imagination dustiness, an introvert; and Kazu - emotion, action, ease in use of money (mostly sensibly), nature observer, an extrovert - plus how they reacted when angry, arguing, feeling betrayed. Kazu's desire to 'improve' Noguchi's position immediately made me shake my head: improve the clothes, house, career, money situation . And what would happen with Kazu's political ideas, even if their party was the Radical one, not the Conservative one (each one of the couple having weaknesses, and Kazu's declining of suitors in the past biting her back badly and slightly unexpectedly.

Kazu's fears about her life drive her to relationship, but also to the conclusion at the end, at how she wants her life to be. She thinks of her life so far, her mortality, does she need love in her life, and what happiness is to her. Both marriage and Setsugoan have ways of happiness, with both she can also see what her grave could be like: family grave, or a forgotten one, but the main thing about it is - is the life towards one, satisfying to her, or satisfying a little to the both of them, Noguchi and Kazu?

It was also nice to read all the descriptions of nature, observations on how youth had changed, and some other characters were memorable, especially Yamazaki, who I feel will stay in touch with Kazu after the book's end.

In the end, the story feels like a circle, a path of learning, a path of wisdom through life, not books, for Kazu. She finds out new things about herself, not always flattering, and gets answers to her questions about what makes a good life for the remaining years of her life. I think she realises this better than Noguchi, who may be inwards-turned but not thinking this deep about this part of life. He thinks limited, as wise as he is. Dusty, dusty. I'm sure he's satisfied also, mostly how this story ends, but Kazu gains more. She might have made mistakes, several types, but they have made her better and wise, more at peace and herself.

[Deniz Balcı · Rating 4 out of 5]

1985’de Ada Yayınları tarafından yayımlanmış bu kitabın şuan güncel bir baskısını bulmak imkânsız elbette. Bu baskının da, çevirisinde ve redaktesinde korkunç hatalar var ancak alternatif bir versiyon olmadığından, yakında da gelecek gibi gözükmediğinden, nadirkitap’dan temin edip okumak en mantıklısı gibi duruyor; keza ben öyle yaptım.

Mişima edebiyatına ve edebiyatıyla aşk olmuş hayatına hayranlık duyduğum, bence benzersiz bir yazar. Her okuduğum kitabında gelişen ilişkimizden haz duyup, ona bir adım daha yaklaşıyorum. O yüzden eserlerini, tam anlamıyla sindirebilmek adına, yeni okumayı sökmüş insan dikkatinde okuyorum. Uzun zamandır da beklettiğim bir eserdi “Şölenden Sonra”. İçimdeki açlık geçtiğimiz sene çıkan “Altın Köşk Tapınağı”nın üzerimde yarattığı etkiyle canlanınca bunu da öne alıp, okudum.

Mişima seven okurlara söyleyebileceğim ilk şey bu romanda her zamankinden farklı bir Mişima ile karşılaşacakları olur. En büyük değişiklik şüphesiz romanın merkezine bir kadın karakter (Kazu) olması. Normalde psikolojileriyle kitaptan kitaba bağ kurabildiğimiz, bir nevi karındaş erkekler grubu olarak ele alabiliriz Mişima karakterlerini. Haliyle Kazu karakteri garip bir his veriyor. Eleştirmenlerin “Şölenden Sonra”yı daha katmansız bir roman olarak kabul etmelerinin kökeninde sanırım bu farklılık yatıyor. Zira hiç Mişima’dan okumaya alışık olmadığımız bir karakter dünyası seriliyor önümüzde.

Kazu’nun karakteri üzerinden okumamızı kitabı olumlu eleştirecek şekilde de eğiltebiliriz, olumsuz eleştirebilecek şekilde de. Modern Japon kadınını anlatmayı amaçladığı bu kitabında Mişima bizi hem açgözlü, maddeci, duyguların özündense yansıması peşinde koşan bir Kazu ile hem de inandıkları uğruna savaşan, özgür, ataerkil sisteme baş kaldırmış bir kadınla baş başa bırakıyor. Olumlu özellikleri tartışmasız Kazu’nun kabullenmemiz ve saygı duymamız gereken tarafları. Ancak bu koşullara ulaşmak için yaptığı eylemlerin erdemsizlikleri onu aynı zamanda olumsuz bazı özelliklerle de donatıyor. Hele ki karşısında Noguci gibi tam da Japon geleneklerinden doğmuş bir erkek karakter varken. Kitap boyunca Kazu’nun tüm gücüyle uğraştığı siyasi faaliyetlerin Noguci’ye olan aşkıyla mı alakalı yoksa salt kendisiyle mi alakalı sorusuna cevap bulamamamız karakterimizin en büyük handikapı. Belki de elinin tersiyle Japon felsefesini itmiş ve liberal dünyaya uyum sağlamış yarı batılı bir kadın var karşımızda. Ama bu kitabın anti-kahramanlarının Kazu üzerine geliştirdikleri tezlerini sonda bizim için haklı çıkarmasıyla herhangi bir batılı kadın imajından farklı bir yere konumlanıyor. Zira kalın kalın Almanca kitaplar okuyabilen, Avrupa görmüş kocasının sahip olduğu tutumlu tavır Kazu’nun sahip olması gereken bir özellikken, bünyesinde ne yazık ki zerre bulunmuyor. Hayatını tutkuları ve pragmatik amaçları arasında köprüler kurarak yaşayan bu kadın haliyle tinse bir bütünleşmeye çok uzak kalıyor. Halbuki en kötü anlarında anımsadığı “yatacağı mezar” onun iç sesi ve yol göstericisi olarak hep aklını çelse de, parlattığı dünyevi tarafı daha güçlü çıkıyor.

Yine üzerinde uzun uzun konuşabileceğimiz bir Mişima romanı. Yazara meftun olur ve bu kitabı da bir gün okuma listenize alırsınız umarım.

Herkese iyi okumalar.

7.5/10

[Emilio Berra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giappone fra Oriente e Occidente
Alla pubblicazione di quest'opera, un uomo politico giapponese, riconosciutosi in un personaggio del libro, avviò causa legale nei confronti dello scrittore. Ci fu il processo ; Mishima, ritenuto colpevole, dovette risarcire.
A noi rimane però il bellissimo romanzo ambientato nel dopoguerra nipponico quando ormai la lotta politica (democratica) ricalcava quella occidentale, con tutte le bassezze a cui siamo abituati : propaganda convulsa ...fino alla 'macchina del fango'.

Proprio in tale contesto si trova ad agire la cinquantenne Kazu, donna che, nelle prime pagine, viene rappresentata in una dimensione 'orientale' : la vediamo, totalmente appagata, passeggiare nello splendido parco del suo 'Rifugio dopo la nevicata' , ristorante di lusso, luogo spesso di ritrovo d'atmosfera discreta e accogliente per anziani uomini politici Conservatori.
Pensa che la propria vita non abbia più svolte, ma in questo spesso ci sbagliamo. Un giorno infatti, tra i frequentatori del locale, conosce il sessantenne Progressista Noguchi, che pare avere ancora qualche velleità politica.
Fra i due nasce un'intesa che poi si evolverà. Ma 'di che cosa parliamo quando parliamo d'amore'?
Kazu si getta nella scelta affettiva, però le motivazioni di fondo sono complesse : lei, che ha un passato non limpido, è attratta perfino (soprattutto!?) dalla tomba di famiglia di Noguchi, ammantata del valore simbolico della rispettabilità ...definitiva.
Questa donna passionale si coinvolge ingenuamente nella lotta politica a favore dell'uomo amato. Con quali ripercussioni?

Il romanzo non termina certo con questo interrogativo. Ciò che però voglio evidenziare è la bellezza dell'opera, che va al di là della trama, che risulta comunque costruita in una struttura solidissima. Gli elementi forti sono però lo splendore estetico della scrittura e il raffinato approfondimento psicologico : non un dettaglio è fine a se stesso ; ogni gesto, ogni elemento della natura rientrano in un ordine in cui 'tutto torna'.
Kazu non è assolutamente una Madame Bovary : in lei non prevale l'aspetto egocentrico-nevrotico-distruttivo ; lei anela alla vita nella dimensione più profonda e autentica.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Oricat te-astept
Nu te grabi sa-mbobocesti,
Floare de primavara." (Inō Sōgi, 1421-1502)
Yukio Mishima, unul dintre cei mai talentati prozatori japonezi nu a primit niciodata premiul Nobel, desi a fost nominalizat de 3 ori. Primul sau roman, "Confesiunile unei masti" a aparut in 1944 pe timp de razboi si a devenit instant bestseller national. Pe atunci un tanar intelectual student la Drept, din pricina unei afectiuni pulmonare, nu este inrolat in armata, lucru care avea sa-l intristeze toata viata.
Devotat codului de onoare Bushido practica Kendo si karate, iar in 1968 fondeaza o societate prin care doreste sa reinvie crezul samurailor. Dupa ce societatea esueaza Mishima isi termina ultimul sau roman, "Ingerul decazut" si recurge la harakiri. Iata povestea de viata controversata a acestui mare autor nipon.
In "Utage no Ato" autorul ne releva, pe langa o poveste de dragoste si fatetele murdare si urate ale politicului.
Kazu Fukuzawa este o femeie frumoasa care detine un restaurant in Tokyo numit Setsugo-an (Chilia zapezilor). Linistita ca la varsta ei nu mai poate fi tulburata si ispitita de fiorii dragostei ea se bucura de singuratate, de gradina ei superba si de viata ei aranjata si calma. Asta pana cand cercul Kagen alcatuit din fosti ambasadori decide sa-si tina banchetul de reuniune la restaurantul ei. Atunci il intalneste pe Noguchi, care cu felul sau enigmatic si caustic o intriga.
Relatia avanseaza intre cei doi si barbatul o domina si o supune in toate felurile iar ea se lasa in voia lui indragostindu-se de el.
Casnicia lor va fi zdruncinata insa de interesele politice contrare ale celor doi soti, ea primind politicieni conservatori la resturant iar sotul ei facand parte din partidul radicalilor.
O groteasca si hilara campanie electorala a lui Noguchi va pune la incercare atat casnicia cat si integritatea morala a celor doi.
Romanul mi-a placut, mai ales ca Mishima alege sa deschida povestea cu banchetul si o si incheie tot cu un banchet, incadrand-o astfel intr-o rama.
Chestiunile de morala care se ridica sunt urmatoarele: ea este considerata o parvenita, pentru ca vrea sa faca parte dintr-o familie nobila, cu banii pe care i-a castigat prin restaurant. Ajunge sa investeasca tot ce are intr-o campanie electorala ridicola mizand pe sotul ei care este un nobil de moda veche ce nu are valente de politician, fiind prea cumsecade si demn pentru masinatiunile care se fac in politica.
Intreaga desfasurare a campaniei este absurda si caraghioasa, incepand cu imaginea sotului batran care candideaza, cu afisele, brosurile, cuvantarile sale seci si prostul gust al sotiei care isi impune sotul poporului in modul cel mai vulgar. Ceilalti candidati se folosesc de toate parghiile necinstite ale politicii, nefiind astfel de mirare ca Noguchi esueaza.
Am apreciat traducerea, notele de subsol si consider ca singurul inconvenient este marimea literelor, textul fiind greu de parcurs, mai ales seara si daca purtati ochelari pentru miopie.
In incheiere atasez mai multe citate care sa releve frumusetea textului lui Mishima si care contin cateva aforisme despre politica:
"Puterea banului, care ii demonstrase atat de crancen ca inteligenta, sentimentele si farmecul personal sunt neputincioase, puterea asta o ura si o detesta ea din adancul sufletului."
"Omul e doar o albie intunecoasa prin care poate trece orice, sau ca o rascruce de drumuri peste care rotile isi lasa urmele"
"Iata un barbat care stie sa spuna ceea ce altii n-ar indrazni, gandi ea."
"Doar e firesc ca toate lucrurile sa aiba doua fete. Or, ceea ce o impresiona la Noguchi era tocmai faptul ca omul acesta parea sa nu aiba decat fata pe care o arata lumii. "
"Pentru ca, sa stii, cu maritisul e ca si cu actiunile: le cumperi cat sunt ieftine. De ce vrei neaparat sa cumperi niste actiuni care n-au sa mai creasca niciodata?"
"Ba mai mult, trebuie chiar sa ai ochi de politician ca sa descoperi adevarata frumusete a naturii. Politicianul stie ca orice peisaj e in stare sa dea roade si nu asteapta decat sa fie exploatat."
"A privi, a sintetiza, a domina - iata sarcinile politicianului."
"Delicatetea adevarata e ca matasea - or, politetea lui Saeki era din fire sintetice!"

[Miroslav Maričić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Заљубљеник у Мишиму опростићу му све излете у мени мрске животне теме, пажљиво ћу прочитати свако слово у коме несвесно објашњава садашњост моје земље, а све то да бих у описима Мишиминих јунака видео очи мојих суграђана, комшија и познаника и да бих запљескао, да ме и у свом зен светилишту чује, мајстор приповедања. Тај самурај модерног доба дубоко задире у месо трулежи, трулином одише његова проза док попут филозофа тражи узрок трулине да би је истакао, изнео на површину и показао је свима прстом праведника. Похлепа, лаж, лицемерје, борба за власт која се води на путу којим су посута невина срца, сусрет старог и новог савременог Јапана.
Казу је средовечна жена управља поседом Сецуоган, са популарним рестораном који окружују паркови и природа. Та пуначка жена, која напросто кипи од позитивне енергије, од Сецуогана је направила угледно састајалиште богате и политички активне господе. Пријем групе пензионера доводи до њеног сусрета са традиционалним Ногућијем, политичким вођом радикалног покрета у Јапану, сусрет доводи до заљубљености, а убрзо и до заједничког живота. Складан живот супружника у зрелим годинама, који се темељи на договору, али и нескладу у карактерима, ремете политички избори.
Ногући: озбиљан и намрштен и у срећи, свет је напросто заборавио да он постоји, чврсто се држи традиционалних, радикалних начела, за њега је морал изнад свега, привржен је старим стварима, чува данхилов упаљач и чешаљ од шимшировине старе тридесет година, у шетњи ужива једино у посматрању трагова древног Јапана, воли тишину и одсуство људи;
Казу: насмејана, ведра, привлачна жена, комуникативна, воли узбудљив живот пун свакодневних активности, друштво људи, воли разговор попут разбуктале ватре, искрена је и не разуме сплетке и лаж, пати за породицом и срља у погрешне руке, али је и амбициозна, похлепна и воли да гази зарад својих циљева по лешевима људи.
Толико различити, по својим карактерима, супружници политичкој кампањи за изборе, у којима је кандидат за гувернера управо Ногући, прилазе на различите начине. Казу агресивно причом, обиласцима, плакатама, улагањем сопственог новца у поштену кампању коју је схватила као животни позив и циљ, док је Ногући трапав за такав вид кампање, изборима приступио мирно и без помпе, али и без жеље да победи и са необавештеношћу у активности своје супруге. Сплетке које прате политичке изборе у нашој земљи нису поштеделе ни јунаке јапанских избора. Лаж и злоба, подметање ногу, неискрена обећања и прљави ударци, дочекују неспремну и искрену Казу. Животне прилике нису је штеделе, до угледа је стигла из пепела, с губитком избора пепео јој се опет смеши. Дугови избора су је опколили, лош глас кампање затворио капије ресторана, Ногући жели да се изолују и такорећи припреме за оно што сваком старом човеку предстоји. Предаја, потписивање капитулације, али не и за Казу, ватра у срцу, искра у мислима, близина пепела довели су је да се она у трену „...први пут приближила суштини политике- издаји.“

„Онако како пред нашим очима ишчезавају комади рубља када их у машини за прање веша свом брзином заврти центрифуга, тако и оно што називамо људском природом ишчезава за трен ока у вртлогу политике.“

Политика, мени апсолутно непривлачна, лажна,неискрена и свадљива, нацртана од Мишиме даје у овој књизи фантастичну студију карактера. Промена мишљења, привлачење, подвлачење, увлачење, грозне лажи и манипулације, неискрен смех и болесна амбиција, вођене мајстором приповедања уобличавају се у једну складну целину, у којој нема у потпуности позитивних ликова. Прича оставља горак укус лажи и сладак укус лепоте књижевности у очима, срцу и телу. Фантастично, фанатични, преквалитетни самурај Мишима.

„Кад само помислим колико су ове последње године пољуљале вашу веру у људе, у разумевање ближљих, како сте уместо спокојства нашли само неизвесност и несигурност, а уместо среће само нова болна сазнања, како сте покушали да волите и научили да цените, кад се само сетим како сте се на крају нашли тамо где сте мислили да почињете и почињали тамо где је већ све било окончано.“

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘It was during the course of her customary stroll the next morning that she discovered at the base of the sunlit ilex tree, the lumps of chewing gum looking for all the world like glistening white teeth.’

None of the characters or the plot charm me one bit, yet I’m compelled to give this a 4. Mishima’s writing is utterly sublime – beyond the gaudy, mechanical and clinical sentiments of (conventional) ‘beauty’. I can’t even describe his writing/work as ‘beautiful’ anymore – it simply feels wrong, inaccurate and lacking. This novel in particular reminded me of his other novel, The Sound of Waves. Not because they have similar patterns of narrative(s), but because I was able to enjoy both novels despite my unwavering indifference to the main plot (and/esp. the ‘romantic’ sub-plot).

“This marriage won’t do either you or Noguchi any good. With your talents there’s nothing you can’t do, but instead you choose to shut off your whole future. Look, Kazu, getting married is like buying stocks. It’s normal to buy when they’re low—why should you want to buy stocks with no prospects for improvement.”

‘The past piece by piece crumbled away under her feet, and she was left with nothing to support her. If she went on in this way, there would probably not be a single person to mourn her when she died. Reflections on death convinced her that she must find someone she could depend on, have a family, lead a normal life. But the only way to do this was to go through with the formalities of love.’

Like ‘Sound of Waves’, the romantic story-line is simply a vessel for socio-political explorations. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Mishima rejected the ‘I-novel’ or the ‘shi-shoshetsu’ – holding an opinion of that that sort of writing (which is probably closely related to the ‘auto-fiction’ genre of today) was a lazy form of creative writing; and was too self-indulgent for his taste. Although I share a similar sentiment about that particular genre/form of writing, I am not so ‘extreme’ with my views; I do enjoy a small number of books of the ‘auto-fiction’ genre (Tao Lin’s Leave Society is a brilliant example of a well-written ‘auto-fiction’ (in my opinion), and so is the iconic The Bell Jar by Plath; and not forgetting Hardwick’s Sleepless Nights). Mishima based ‘After the Banquet’ on real-life events/politicians and was sued for libel (needless to say, the court/law was not in favour of Mishima). After reading this novel, I think that Mishima must have been flattered by the lawsuit despite the loss and inconvenience. The lawsuit would have amplified the satirical effects/qualities of the book even more. It was exactly the sort of thing that ‘Noguchi’ (character in the book who’s based on or inspired by the lad who had sued Mishima) would have done.

‘Such a view did not, of course, suggest anything human to Kazu. She sensed the vast, beautiful, inorganic presence confronting her. Nature here bore no resemblance to the garden of the Setsugoan; it was not an exquisite, human miniature which she could hold in her hand. Yet, to gaze at this landscape was surely a political act. To gaze at it, sum it up, control it, was the work of politics.’

‘The leopard-like resilience of her comfortably plump flesh made Yamazaki stare in astonishment. Kazu kept her head obstinately averted, her eyes on the garden soaked by the spring rains. The garden was a green blur.’

Mishima has so much literary ‘range’; and the musicality of his writing is so fucking sublime. Every book of his that I’ve read covers a totally different matter – with a whole set of new characters, thrown into a whole different array of setting and environments described so precisely and carefully. Yet, with all that said, (and even with different translators handling his work) each book still feels so quintessentially ‘Mishima’. Is it his close attention and obsession with ‘nature’? Or is it how he unravels the characters’ private, inner monologues and thoughts/passions so accurately, so well – so much so that it edges towards a kind of surrealism but without losing the characters’ human complexities. If anything, it makes them more ‘real’. I’ve mentioned this in every review I’ve written of every Mishima book I’ve read, but every time I’m rendered paralysed (momentarily, temporarily – jaw-dropped, and weak-kneed with raw admiration) by the sublimity of his prose, I think of Virginia Woolf. Reading their work always has that hard-to-describe, transcending quality – like that lingering adrenaline-laced buzz, and ‘high’ you get after going to a fucking amazing gig/concert.

‘The men in their conversation laid an entirely excessive emphasis on accuracy and minuteness of memory. Their conversation somehow reminded Kazu, listening without saying a word, of young men trying to outdo one another in boasting of their knowledge of women. These old men were at great pains to impart credibility to their remarks by insisting on a quite unnecessary precision, and by referring to meaningless details.

Kazu, suppressing her amusement, stared at the wrinkled bits of thin peel, the color of the harvest moon, still sticking to the fleshy fruit.’

‘Noguchi’ is hardly the star of Mishima’s novel. ‘Kazu’ – is. Mishima, in my opinion, writes women characters who would be considered highly transgressive in the period that his books were written/published in. They do not feel like ‘manic-pixie dream girls’, and they are not passive characters (on the contrary, they often take the wheel and drive the plot). Written with all sort of human complexities; and are usually conflicted by many obstacles that are not limited to just the problems ‘women’ face. ‘Kazu’ is not just obsessed with her inevitably fading youth/‘beauty’, but she’s also obsessed with her ‘death’ (or specifically how and where she wants to be buried). I think the latter might be linked with some cultural (and perhaps even religious) connotations that I failed to pick up on/understand – a bit clueless, just as I was with the fiery temple festival in Nara, but to simply read about it was nonetheless quite a sublime experience.

‘Kazu wore on this occasion a small-patterned violet-gray kimono with an obi of dark purple dyed in a single band of chrysanthemum flowers in lozenges. A large black pearl was set in her carnelian obi clasp. She had chosen this particular attire with a view to holding in her ample body and giving it greater dignity.’

‘Here not an echo of the rumbling of streetcars or the blasts of klaxons could reach her. The world had become a still-life picture. How was it possible that emotions which once had flared so brightly could flicker out without a trace? The reasons escaped Kazu. She was at a loss to understand where sensations which had once definitely passed through her body could have gone. The conventional belief that people achieve maturity as they accumulate experiences of every kind seemed to her untrue. She thought it more likely that human beings were no more than blind ditches through which sundry objects flowed, or the stone pavement at a crossroads printed with the tracks of vehicles of every kind which have since passed on. Ditches rot and stone pavement wears away. But once they too were at a crossroads on a festival day.’

Just because the women in Mishima’s novels are not written with the general/conventional concept of ‘femininity’ in mind, that doesn’t mean that they are instilled with unrealistic/superficial, idolatry qualities either. Yet, they do not assume any unrealistic ‘masculine’ roles in society. Through this, he allows the characters to possess a wide range of human complexities. Kazu, in this particular novel of his, is very self-aware – she is conscious of how she is being perceived, of the leverage she holds at every occasion, and of how society ‘functions’. Without her, the political satire would be ineffectual. Is that not ironic? ‘Politics’ are often perceived as a masculine occupation – so much more so in the time period of when Mishima wrote this novel. I think it’s so clever of Mishima to use the characters the way he did. Perhaps he thought that it was ridiculous and comical that politicians always use their wives as – well, essentially human ‘lapel pins’.

‘Kazu’s frankness and honesty easily became exhibitionist before a man she did not especially love. She deliberately affected this mannerism in order to destroy any illusions people might have about her, but it was hardly likely that anyone would entertain illusions about Kazu. There was a plebeian warmth to her plump beauty; not having a single weak spot, it retained, regardless of the jewelry or splendid clothes with which it might be adorned, the fragrance of black loam, a heritage from her native soil. As a matter of fact, this impression of physical opulence saved her chatter from being annoying, and made it seem instead a complementary feature.’

Personally, I didn’t vibe with ‘Kazu’. She was basically a ‘boss babe’ (in the first half of the novel at least). Just because she’s not a feminist icon (that would have totally wreck the novel – steering it astray) doesn’t mean she’s a badly written character by any means – on the contrary, she’s the absolute star of the novel. Stunning character development. Judging from the way she observes her own aging body to the way she questions her own life choices; and particularly the way she observes her personal companions – one wouldn’t immediately assume that this was a novel written by a man in the 1950s (first published in 1960).

‘…the election cannot be said to have been a misfortune in a real sense, for it smashed every kind of counterfeit happiness and resulted in you and Mr. Noguchi showing each other your naked selves. I have been wallowing in the bog of politics for a long time, and I have in fact come to be quite fond of it. In it corruption cleanses people, hypocrisy reveals human character more than half-hearted honesty, and vice may, at least for a moment, revive a helpless trust . . . Just as when you throw laundry into a centrifugal dryer, it rotates so fast that the shirt or underwear you’ve just thrown in vanishes before your eyes, what we normally call human nature instantly disappears in the whirlpool of politics. I like its fierce operation. It doesn’t necessarily purify, but it makes you forget what should be forgotten, and overlook what should be overlooked. It works a kind of inorganic intoxication. That is why, no matter how badly I fail, no matter what disastrous experiences I encounter, I shall never leave politics as long as I live.’

Definitely the most explicitly political of all the Mishima novels that I’ve read. The translator, Donald Keene has referred to ‘After the Banquet’ as Mishima’s most well-constructed novel – exposing the post-war social-political situation in Japan. I can’t say I’m a fan of the translation – felt slightly dated and slightly too ‘direct’. For instance, I’d have liked it better if Keene had used the Japanese names of the trees/flowers rather than their Latin names which felt quite ‘jarring’ and out of place. My favourite translator of Mishima’s novels is Sam Bett (who translated Star) so far. After writing this review, I realised that this is the only Mishima novel that I’ve read that doesn’t include murder/suicide (that his novels are often associated with). After having read a good number of Mishimas now, I think the one that had left the most impression on me might be Life for Sale. ‘Life for Sale’ flirts so deftly with absurdism, and I absolutely adore that. Tetralogy, next, maybe?

‘They saw how the rays of the sun, slanting into a grove of tall cryptomerias to the left of the road, caused a mysterious, golden mist to coil between the trunks of the trees. A truck passed alongside, raising an immense cloud of dust. The dust remaining drifted among the cryptomerias, and again turned a peaceful gold.’

[Speranza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written boredom.

[Bern · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a sad story of a Japanese woman after the WW2 era trying to stand on her own feet. A story of a vivid and real woman trying to survive in the patriarchal environment among all pseudo modern and well educated men. The secondary item of the novel might be the hypocritical and manipulative sides of politics (maybe the endevour to move to the upper class as our female protagonist implies). However, from my humble point of view, Mishima wanted to point out how a woman could be brave and devoted, when being in love. Besides these, he has given women (whether Japanese or not) the inspiration not to give up and dream further, even at an old age.

[Hulyacln · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setsugoan göz önünde olan siyasilerin, güç sahibi kişilerin mekanı. Kahkahaların da çıkar ilişkilerinin de eksilmediği bir restoran. Ama onu daha da değerli kılan sahibesi Kazu. Kazu ne kadar kendi ayakları üzerinde duran, bağımsız ve güzel bir kadın olsa da ihtiyaçları da var elbet. Kök salmak ve bir ailenin üyesi olmak gibi.
Karşısına çıkan Noguçi, ona bu aileyi sunacak mı peki?
.
Yukio Mişima, Kazu üzerinden gelenek ve moderniteyi, ideal olanı, erdemi ve hileyi anlatıyor. Bunu yaparken tek bir karakteri didik didik etmesi müthiş! Çünkü biz tüm zıtlıkları içimizde barındırabiliyoruz. Kazu’nun gücüne rağmen bir mezar taşına bakarken yaşadığı hüznü anlayabiliyoruz, siyasi çekişmelerdeki ikiyüzlülüğü tanıyoruz, sevginin sadece bir yüzü değil onlarca maske takıp karşımızda belirivereceğini de biliyoruz.
Mişima yine ruhun derinliklerinden sesleniyor bize. Kimseyi yargılamıyor, ayrılan yolların her zaman iyi-kötüye varmak zorunda olmadığını da gösteriyor.
Çok sevdim Şölenden Sonra’yı. Tam da bugünlerde okumak iyi geldi~
.
Vaner Alper çevirisi, Aylin Güler kapak uygulamasıyla~

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

Now this is a character driven novel in all its glory. I have always thought that such novels are the hardest to write. They can easily become an over-emotional, repetitive cliché. Character driven novels aren't meant to be a description of feelings at every given moment. They are meant to be exactly what Yukio Mishima wrote in After the Banquet.

Kazu is the owner of a high class restaurant in Tokyo. Nowadays, we would probably call her a self-made woman. Kazu's struggle to rise from poverty is never directly described but it is hinted at quite often. When we find Kazu she's already a middle aged woman, rich and independent with little more to expect from life as she has achieved all that is possible for her to achieve.

Or has she?

Kazu falls in love and eventually marries Noguchi, a respected member of the Radical Party. The problem is that Noguchi, a thoroughly unpleasant man, is never conquered by those qualities that everybody else seems to love in Kazu: her tireless energy and enthusiasm for life.

Their incompatibility is made obvious when Noguchi decides to run for political office. Kazu, unbeknownst to her husband, starts to campaign on his behalf, obviously doing a far better job than Noguchi ever would. When her husband finds out, he is furious. Noguchi is an interesting object of study because under all his lofty ideals and political integrity , he is a rather selfish and self-centered man. The feelings and actions of the woman he married are completely foreign to him. Not only he doesn't understand his wife, but he also doesn't understand people - common people. Unlike Kazu who clearly has the "common touch" as Kipling would put it.

To cut a more complex story short: Noguchi looses the elections. In the meanwhile, Kazu had decided to mortgage her restaurant in order to help the campaign. Her husband and her debts force her to sell it. Kazu realises at the end that she doesn't want to sell it. She ends up divorcing her husband because of her decision to keep the restaurant.

The restaurant, Setsugoan, begins as the symbol of Kazu's unchanging and easygoing life. Kazu reigned supreme there, unchallenged and loved by her maids (who insist on returning when it reopens at the end) and by her clients. When Kazu marries the restaurant looses its interest because there were other more compelling challenges for her to face. When those challenges disappoint her - both politics and her husband's character - she realises that she had what she wanted all along. Setsugoan becomes a Return to the old but at the same time, the beginning of something new, something far better than it initially was. At the end, there is a sense of belonging that wasn't there in the beginning.

What is this story about, then? Can someone's nature change? Can we change? Does Kazu change?

Kazu's nature never changes. She divorces Noguchi because she realises that we cannot go against what we are. And Kazu was a woman with a constant need for enthusiasm, for solving problems, for people. The life of a retired politician's wife, living in the suburbs of a huge city, could never suit her.

But still, Kazu changes. She gains a self-awareness she didn't have before. She faces up to her fear - which was her main motivation to stay with her husband - of being forgotten and dying alone. She realises that it is better to die alone than to live alone.

Some reviewers have focused a lot on the question of politics, on the corruptibility of men, on the nature of democracy. But I couldn't help but feel that this was but a peripheral question, a way for Kazu to understand herself and her surroundings. And to become reconciled with what she was.

[Nataša Bjelogrlić · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nisam stekla simpatije ni za jednog od likova.

[Smiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If one would like to read "After the Banquet" by Yukio Mishima for romantic or sensational scenes, this novel might be disappointing since he has portrayed a formidable lady named Kazu, the proprietress of the Setsugoan, in her years of age "over fifty" (p. 7) whose fate leads her to meet a retired elderly, "over sixty" (p. 76), politician and ambassador named Noguchi. Their first meeting is at her distinguished restaurant in Tokyo when there is an annual meeting of the Kagen Club where Noguchi duly attends. Eventually, she has become gradually interested in him as we can see from these excerpts:

Noguchi, who had scarcely uttered a word, finally spoke. "Why don't we drop all this talk about the old days? We're still young, after all."
Noguchi spoke with a smile, but the surging strength in his tone made the others fall silent.
Kazu was captivated by this one remark. ... She thought, "This gentleman can say beautifully things which are really difficult to say." (p. 19)

It was strange that amidst all this excitement Noguchi's words -- "I'm the only one with nothing to tie me down" -- should have lingered so vividly in Kazu's mind. Yes, those definitely had been Noguchi's words, and their meaning like the vibrations of a silver wire, sent a glow of light into Kazu's heart. (p. 24)

Rather we would read how these two senior celebs have fallen in love; indeed, Kazu "is determined never to fall in love again" (back cover). However, Noguchi and Kazu have their own amorous reasons and thus end up getting married in spite of disagreement from a famous politician named Nagayama. (pp. 87-91)

[Fulya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben bu kitabı kaç kere okumuşumdur bilmem. Kazu en sevdiğim edebi arkadaşlarımdandır benim. Şölenden Sonra ise atipik bir kitabı olmasına rağmen Mişima'ya gerçekten yazar olarak en güçlü bağı kurduğum kitaptır. Şimdi Can Vaner Alper çevirisini basınca bir de ondan okuyayım dedim. Elimde çok eski bir Ada Yayınları ve bir Vintage baskısı var. Tekrar Kazu'ya bu sefer doğrudan Japonca- Türkçe çeviriden kavuşmak içimi ısıttı. Mişima'nın sapkınlık eklemediği nadir karakterlerinden biri olsa gerek Kazu. Üstelik Mişima'yı kadın düşmanı olarak yorumlayanların ise Kazu'yu hiç tanımamış olduğunu düşünüyorum. Çünkü Kazu, Mişima'nın tüm karakterleri içinde sıcaklık duyduğu tek karakteri olabilir. Her şeyiyle dinamik, yaşayan bir kadın o.

Oldum olası yaşlanma öykülerine bayılırım. İki farklı kutuptaki iki yaşlı insanın bir aşk öyküsü bu. Gerçekten aşk mıydı peki? Noguçi bir hayat, Kazu bir mezar istedi. Ama Mişima'nın da yazdığı gibi "İnsan bir mezarda yaşayamaz".

Seni ne özlemişim be Kazu! Her şey yerli yerinde güzel.

(Ne tesadüf ki şunları yazarken Fiona Apple'dan Paper Bag çalıyor ve cuk oturuyor:
Şansımın dönmeye başladığına bir an inanmıştım,
Ama şans bana geldiğinde, gözyaşları da yanımdaydı.
Açlık yüreğimi yaralıyor, ama biliyorum ki ben,
Onun düzeltmek istemeyeceği bir karmaşayım.
Katlanmak zorundayım, çünkü elleri titriyor,
Ona, "Tatlım, pek iyi hissetmiyorum,
Haydi içimdeki boşluğa biraz sevgi bırak," dedim.
O da "Hepsi senin kafanda," dedi,
"Ama her şey öyle zaten" dedim, anlamadı.
Onu bir erkek sanıyordum,
Ama aslında sadece küçücük bir çocuktu.
Açlık acıtır, ama sevmek pahalıya mal olduğunda,
Aç kalmak daha iyi.).

[Márcio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kazu, uma mulher de 55 anos, dona de um sofisticado restaurante em Tóquio, conhece e apaixona-se pelo já-quase aposentado diplomata Noguchi durante uma recepção por ela realizada para um grupo de embaixadores aposentados, embora acreditasse que estivesse vacinada em relação ao amor ("Estava desde há muito tempo afastada dos pensamentos de amor. A recordação do seu último amor já ia longe. “Tornei-me invulnerável a todos os perigos do amor”, dizia ela.").

O casamento entre Kazu e Noguchi representa para ela mais do que a realização dessa paixão tardia, mas também a segurança de que após sua morte, teria um túmulo familiar; ela que se fez praticamente sozinha desde muito jovem.

Após o casamento, indiretamente influenciado por Kazu, Noguchi decide concorrer às eleições para a prefeitura de Tóquio pelo Partido Radical, sendo que ela coloca todas as suas armas a disposição para elegê-lo, mesmo que isso signifique ir contra antigos aliados do Partido Conservador, seus clientes no restaurante.

O que se segue... é necessário ler esse delicioso livro, de escrita imensamente sedutora. Kazu com certeza pertence a essa galeria de personagens imemoriais como Anna Karienina, Emma Bovary, Elizabeth Bennett, Julieta, etc., que, cada uma a seu modo, toma as rédeas do destino e da vida em suas mãos, não obstante o preço que terão de pagar; em alguns casos, preços trágicos.

Kazu é uma força, é como o sentido da vida, sempre em frente, sem a possibilidade de nos voltarmos para trás e desfazer os passos dados e, assim, torna-se uma força de embate contra o tradicional(ismo), que tenta parar o tempo e retroceder, o que não é possível, mesmo que as forças humanas assim tentem, como bem sabemos. O tempo avança, não retrocede.

Quem tiver a oportunidade de ler esse livro, bem como as obras de Mishima, façam-no. É uma escrita bela!

[Gokce Atac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Şölenden Sonra gerçekte yaşamış iki kişinin evliliklerinden esinlenerek yazılmış: lüks bir geleneksel Japon restoranı olan Hannean’ın sahibesi Terui Azegami ve eski Dışişleri Bakanı ve Tokyo Valisi adayı Haçiro Arita. Kitabın 1960’ta yayımlanmasından bir sene sonra Mişima ve yayınevi, Haçiro Arita tarafından mahremiyetini ihlal ettiği gerekçesiyle dava edilmiş. Japonya’da “mahremiyet” ve “ifade özgürlüğü” ilk kez mahmekemede tartışılmış. Japon hukukçuları arasında “Utage no ato- Şölenden sonra” davası olarak bilinen ve hukuk kitaplarına geçen bu davada yargıç Mişima’yı haksız bulmuş. 1964’te Tokyo Bölge mahkemesi romanın özel hayatın gizliliğini ihlal ettiğine karar vermiş ve Mişima’yı 800.000 yen ödemeye hükmetmiş.

Mişima okurken çoğunlukla konunun ne olduğu beni pek ilgilendirmese de bu ilgimi çekti. Beni içine alan, zaman kavramımı bir noktada yitirmemi sağlayan o anlatı beni etkileyen her seferinde. Vaner Alper’e de özenli çevirisi için teşekkürler.
Bir de kirigami öğrenmeye başladım çok eğlenceli ve zihin açıcı…tavsiye ederim.

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asla gözardı edilmemesi gereken, bir kadının gücü ve kararlılığı üzerine...

[Александра · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мој први сусрет са јапанском књижевношћу је прошао изванредно. Нисам знала чему да се надам и како ће овај читалачки пут изгледати, али сам напослетку остала задивљена раскошним реченицама Мишиме. Уплашила сам се да ће љубавни део приче преовладати и да ће све отићи у обичну, већ виђену сентименталност. Није било тако. Затим сам се уплашила да ће преовладати политички део и да ће све постати сувопарно и неразумљиво за мој политички недовољно образован ум. Срећом, ни то није било тако. У само 250 страна Мишима је успео да отвори прегршт тема које се нису затвориле ни после 80 година и које нам још увек стварају немире и горак укус у устима. Радујем се поновном сусрету с делима овог занимљивог и чудноватог господина.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mishima uses many evocative and beautiful similes and metaphors.

The phrases from Kazu's lips - "reform of the prefectural administration," "positive policies to combat unemployment," and the like - plummeted to the ground like swarms of winged ants which have lost the strength of their wings, but the words visible on the lips of the crowd dripped like red meat in the sunshine. Old people out for a walk and leaning on their sticks, smugly respectable housewives, little girls in bare-shouldered bathing suits, delivery boys - all were gnawing on bits of Kazu's flesh, and looked at her with heavy, sated eyes.

But it's exhausting and dispiriting to read about a culture in which women are so infantilized. And it's not even really just the women. There's something about the lack of direct communication - every emotion and thought is veiled, everyone wears a mask, there's a mask you wear for your husband, a mask you wear when you run into a woman you despise but must be polite to - that infantilizes the entire Japanese culture. I don't know enough about Japan to be making sweeping statements like this, but this is my sense based on this novel.

I was glad to see Kazu grow some balls at the end of the novel and leave her husband and return to her restaurant business, which she knew was the only way she could be happy.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yukio Mishma's After The Banquet (1960) is interesting in the depiction of corruption in politics, but at heart it is a character study of a strong woman, Kazu. Kazu, runs a restaurant, Setsugen, in Tokyo that is frequented by Japan's political power players. She strikes up an autumn romance with Nouguchi a politico. Their attraction seems somewhat inexplicable-it seems that it gives her a task to take care of the man and then his unlikely campaign for political office. After Noguchi's failure they part ways as the firebrand Kazu will not fade away living a quiet, modest life in the suburbs. I was interested to learn about "Omizutori"- a series of events (giant torches are burned nightly during the duration of the event) held annually from March 1st to the 14th at Todaiji Temple that has been held every year for 1250 years in Nara. There were a couple of trips to this event in the plot of the novel. Apparently the novel was something of a scandal when it came out since it was modeled on a particular politician of the time and he actually won a ruling that it violated his privacy. In retrospect it is surprising since it is far from a salacious portrayal of an affair.

[Varvara · Rating 4 out of 5]

it scares me how well mishima understood women

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Mishima's book about old people! And he's much kinder than I would have thought. All the men are fairly craggy (there's not a hint of the blueness of shaved collar lines), but they and their world are treated with sensitivity and interest. He pokes fun at their self-importance, rituals and politics but doesn't stoop to being too rude about the way they masticate ("Thirst for Love") or their bodies (poor old Honda and his shrivelled white bean in "Decay of the Angel").

In fact, Kazu feels repugnance for young men. She's a spicy, young fiftysomething with an interesting sexual history, a good body and a fabulous restaurant. Noguchi is the only one of his "retired ambassador" set who is not resigned to living in the past, and this arouses Kazu's interest. They fall into something, which is then consummated on their holiday in Nara. An unhappy electoral campaign exhausts their short marriage, and Kazu works hard and even more indignity to get back to where she was at the start.


"True finesse requires a silken touch, but Saeki's at best was rayon."

"The corrupt jewels that had studded the pamphlet seemed to glitter now in the crowd's gossip."

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ditches rot and stone pavement wears away. But once they too were at a crossroads on a festival day."

A charming, quiet novel that covers that kind of love that people can't be bothered too much to write or read about, indeed seem almost repelled by: old people falling in love.
The aging owner of a Tokyo restaurant falls for an even older ex-foreign minister she meets by chance. She decides to secretly back his campaign to become mayor of the capital.
That's the plot. But with Mishima's novels, there is always something thicker than the plot. Here, it is the fading grace of a charming, independent woman who does not want to die alone and unsung. The austere, humorless object of her affections is a conundrum, to her and the reader, and the weird twists and turns of their relationship form the backbone here.
You'll be won over by Mishima's wit and insight from passages like this one:
"The sound of his gargling--foamy, granular, bubbling--seemed a proof that he was definitely there, alive before her. If that were true, she too was alive, and there was place for neither boredom nor inaction in such a life."

[Sarah Magdalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

After The Banquet....hahaha! I was reading this one just after the election which was appropriate seeing as it all about politics, and about marriage. Mishima is good at describing the hell that is marriage. He knows exactly how it all works. He understands women extremely well and his women characters are always surprising, usually very powerful and always palpably real. The heroine of this tale Kazu is a formidable self made woman and a great natural politician.
"Some curious blessing of heaven had joined in one body a mans resolution with a womans reckless enthusiasm."
She falls in love with a dry old aristocratic politician, but ends up unintentionally eclipsing him. It's all about class and temperament and vitality. She is too much woman for him basically.

[Zen Cho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interestingly observed clash of personalities in a marriage. Reading this was sometimes helped by imagining the stern, dignified husband possessed of noble ideals as Kuchiki Byakuya, but sometimes not .... The problem with this was mainly that thing you get when you are reading a book from outside your culture, where you don't know what the narrative conventions are or what's supposed to happen next or what characters' reactions mean. There is a sometimes pleasing, sometimes alienating incomprehensibility to everything.

Anyway I liked this more than The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which I couldn't manage to finish because the main character was such an asshole.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting novel about political and domestic tensions. Middle aged Kazu has for years successfully run a fashionable restaurant. She has vitality and is charming and shrewd, coming from a poor background. She falls in love with Yukon Noguchi, an older man, a middle aged entrepreneur who is a retired aristocratic politician who supports the radical political party. Kazu restaurant customers are mostly conservative political party followers.

Kazu decides to resurrect her husband’s political career and in doing so, embarrasses Noguchi to such an extent that he forces her to stop working in her restaurant.

A novel with interesting, well developed characters and good plot momentum.

This book was first published in Japanese in 1963.

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Yukio Mishima's achingly romantic The Sound of Waves years ago. This is the second novel of his I've read.

After the Banquet is sort of the antithesis of The Sound of Waves. The main characters are a middle aged restaurant owner and an elderly retired aristocratic politician. Kazu is a rather unconventional female for a traditional society like Japan. She is a lively, energetic, pretty and plump middle aged woman. She never married and is the rather affluent owner of a restaurant which caters to mainly retired politicians and journalists. Noguchi, who is in his sixties is a rather impoverished aristocrat and former politician. He is one of her regular clients who comes to her establishment accompanied by some of his elderly friends. Out of the group he is the most reserved, an ageing cold fish intellectual, but Kazu falls in love with him.

This novel is the story of their marriage and the politics surrounding it. I rather enjoyed this novel because it's not often that I read novels where the protagonists are no longer young. This is not a conventional love story.

[Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is the third book by Mishima I have read so far and I still enjoy his writing very much.
I enjoyed the first part of the book a lot. Reading about this very independant woman, Kazu and how she opens her heart to Mr. Nogucho was beautiful. However, when politics came into play, I wasn't as enthusiastic. Politics here are only an excuse to talk about marriage, about life and death. Becaus yes, Kazu is obsessed with death. Where will she rest when she dies? Why are these all people always speaking about the past? Where did their energy went?
But as Kazu and Mr. Noguchi try to share some time together, it is obvious that they have a too different kind of life. While Noguchi would like to enjoy a settled kind of life, Kazu is all about being very active, meeting people, doing things all the time.
Maybe I am too young for now to enjoy this tale of life and death and would appreciate it much better when I am the age of Kazu. For now, it was a pleasure to read, thanks to Mishima's beautiful writing but the topic was not my favorite.

[Yume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al ser un libro de Mishima (escritor al que adoro y venero), la verdad es que ya tenía una buena predisposición antes de empezarlo. En cuanto al estilo, como siempre me ocurre con este autor, me ha encantado. Sin embargo, tampoco creo que sea su mejor obra ni de lejos en este sentido, no expresa tanta belleza y pasión como otras que he leído por su parte pero no está mal.

En cuanto al contenido, me parece que la parte central decae bastante y, aunque necesaria, sí que es cierto que se me hizo algo pesada y aburrida en ciertos puntos. De todos modos, en general la historia me ha gustado, y ante todo creo que tiene un buen final. Sinceramente, teniendo en cuenta la época y el país donde está escrito no me esperaba que fuese a suceder eso (no diré más para no hacer spoilers).

No es la obra del siglo, pero está bastante entretenida.