جسر السلوان

by Pearl S. Buck, بيرل باك, رمزي يسى (Translator)

جسر السلوان، أو جسر للعبور كما أطلقت عليه بيرل بك، يتناول إقامة المؤلفة في اليابان أثناء تصوير أحد الأفلام المبنية على رواية لها.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Japan, Memoir, Classics, Biography Memoir, Nobel Prize

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck was an American writer and novelist. She is best known for The Good Earth, the best-selling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China" and for her "masterpieces", two memoir-biographies of her missionary parents.
Buck was born in West Virginia, but in October 1892, her parents took their 4-month-old baby to China. As the daughter of missionaries and later as a missionary herself, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, with her parents, and in Nanjing, with her first husband. She and her parents spent their summers in a villa in Kuling, Mount Lu, Jiujiang, and it was during this annual pilgrimage that the young girl decided to become a writer. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, then returned to China. From 1914 to 1932, after marrying John Lossing Buck she served as a Presbyterian missionary, but she came to doubt the need for foreign missions. Her views became controversial during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, leading to her resignation. After returning to the United States in 1935, she married the publisher Richard J. Walsh and continued writing prolifically. She became an activist and prominent advocate of the rights of women and racial equality, and wrote widely on Chinese and Asian cultures, becoming particularly well known for her efforts on behalf of Asian and mixed-race adoption.

Reviews

[Andrea Tomé · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5/5
La prosa de Pearl S. Buck es maravillosa

[Irene Azuaje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un poco lento de leer, pero nos da a conocer un poco más sobre esta fantástica autora.

[Nancy Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixing the story of the filming of the adaptation of her book The Big Wave and her journey of grief after her husband died, Buck tells a flowing story of the beauty of Japan and its people. Introspection abounds in this small volume and the section about love at the beginning of Chapter 2 is particularly eloquent and poignant (at least I felt that way).

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting memoir of the year Pearl S. Buck lost her husband. At that same time, she was spending time in Japan for the filming of her beautiful children's book, The Big Wave. Her experiences in Japan at such a sad and difficult time provided solace and perspective, and became a "bridge" into her new life alone without her beloved husband.

[Jose Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

PUENTE DE PASO (1964) de PEARL S. BUCK. Conocí este libro por la antigua Colección Reno en una edición de 1967. No es en realidad una novela sino una mezcla de libro de viajes y memorias personales. Nos cuenta las vicisitudes del rodaje de una película en el Japón de la posguerra basada en un relato de la autora. Se interpone la muerte, no por esperada menos traumática, de su marido, al que parece que estaba muy unida. Los recuerdos de su marido, editor que la descubrió y apoyó, son reveladores. Es un texto sencillo, entrañable y que se lee con fluidez aunque al final se torna en repetitivo y cansino y el interés decae. Contiene algunas ingenuas reflexiones sobre la conjugación del cientificismo con la inmortalidad del alma: «Son los santos, los creyentes, los que deben tener el coraje de animar a los científicos, ayudarlos a descubrir si el espíritu continúa su vida de energía, cuando la materia que llamamos cuerpo deja de ser el continente. La fe suple la hipótesis, pero sólo la ciencia puede proveer el computador para su verificación. El que no cree, no perseguirá nunca descubrir la verdad. Es un ser estático, una columna de sal que mira hacia atrás para siempre. No hay milagros, de eso estoy segura. Si uno anda sobre el agua y cura al enfermo y devuelve los muertos a la vida no es cuestión de magia, sino de saber cómo se hace. No existe lo sobrenatural, sólo existe lo enteramente natural, lo puramente científico. La ciencia y la religión, la religión y la ciencia, se exprese como se exprese. Hay dos caras en el mismo espejo a través del cual vemos oscuro hasta que enfocándose juntas, revelen la verdad. El día en que llegue el mensaje desde el horizonte lejano donde vive «esa gran mayoría», los muertos, la prueba llegará hasta nosotros no como un ejército de ángeles por el cielo, sino como una longitud de onda recogida en un laboratorio, una longitud de onda tan indiscutible y personal como la huella digital de alguien cuyo cuerpo es polvo. Entonces el científico, reconociendo la longitud de onda exclamará: «Pero ¡si ése es alguien a quien yo conozco! Le tomé la longitud de onda antes de morir». Y comparará su ficha con la longitud de onda que se acabe de recoger y sabrá que finalmente un aparato, una máquina, puede recibir un mensaje soñado desde hace siglos: el mensaje de la continuación de la existencia individual que llamamos la inmortalidad del alma.» De ahí a ponerse a grabar psicofonías sólo hay un paso.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1961 memoir tells two stories. The deeper story is of Pearl Buck's loss of her husband to dementia, and then while she was in Japan during the filming of a movie based on her book The Big Wave, her loss of her husband to death. I felt very simpatico with Pearl as she and I share a fascination with, and a wish for, life after death. She was way ahead of her time in her understanding the possibility of the soul existing separately from the body and how science had already advanced to the point of beginning to support that idea - much more commonly known now, since quantum physics has become more mainstream and the intelligent observer phenomenon more well-known.

Pearl's remembrances of the love she and her husband shared, as well as honest memories of his foibles and flaws, were interesting and touching.

The bulk of the writing, however, pertained to the making of the film and was interesting in and of itself. I learned fascinating bits about Japanese culture before and since WWII. One memorable fact is that the Japanese don't have the equivalent of the words, "I love you." For them, the love between husband and wife is too deep for words and can only be expressed through attitude and behavior.

Recommended for Pearl Buck fans, as well as anyone struggling with the loss of a partner to dementia or death, interested in spirituality, or a fan of cinematography. Eclectic, eh? Pearl was one complex, generous, and deep-thinking person with interests that span all of creation, particularly communication between conscious beings. My one nitpick is that she is a bit overly-impressed with physical beauty and expressive intelligence in her response to individuals, although that exists, a bit uncomfortably for me, alongside an appreciation of all people.

[Dharmabum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an intimate autobiographical account of the period in the author's life that immediately follows her husband's death. It so happens that she must spend this time in Japan, for the filming of one of her books The Big Wave, being made into a motion picture now. The book is packed with minute observations and poignant moments, both from her past memories with her late husband as well as her current encounters with the people of Japan.
Two things stand out for me in the book. The first is the description of the landscape, and more importantly, the people of Japan. One can't help but marvel at the author's observation of the subtleties in and through her interaction with the people if Japan. Their behaviour with each others, with the author, their sensitivity and habits all make for curious reading and eventually makes me want to visit the country.
The second is her description of her husband. While it is evident that they loved each other deeply, she makes sure that she gives the reader a glimpse into the glories as well as the blemishes of the person. And all this comes in very candid fashion.
Every day the author spends in Japan is busy with casting, shooting and so on. And the evenings bring her back the memories of his late husband. She frankly and quite simply describes her struggle of coping with his loss and eventually coming to terms with. I am not sure what it is, but there is something about her writing that is sustained throughout the book - partly the simplicity, partly the depth of observation, partly, something mysterious to me. There were so many moments that made me smile and I can say confidently that there is no work of non-fiction that has moved me so much in recent times.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1948 the author wrote The Big Wave; in about 1952 her second husband, Richard John Walsh, had a stroke, and eventually lost all mental abilities. This book is about the author leaving him in early 1960 to assist in making the movie of The Big Wave in Japan, and is also about the author dealing with her husband’s death. I loved this book, and I regret that even in 2025 one cannot find The Big Wave on streaming media.
After years of caring for her husband, the author was given the chance to go to Japan to assist in making a movie of her book The Big Wave. She is told by the doctors that nothing she can do, or not do, at this point will make any difference to her husband’s life; he could die in days, or in six months. This opportunity to work with the filming of her book is the first time, apparently, she had done anything this extensive since her husband first fell ill. She flies to Japan, a country she once knew well (she had fled to Japan with her first husband and daughters in 1927, when Westerners were ejected from Nanking), and helps with preliminary work on the film. She then gets word that her husband had died, back home in Pennsylvania, and flies home for the funeral. She returns to Japan and is involved in the location filming at various sites near Hiroshima; she is also dealing with the fact that her husband is gone, and that she is now alone.

This was a great book about loss, and about some measure of healing; and again, I wish I could see the movie she helped make.

[Mary Dayhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just lost a loved one I was curious to read about the author's experience of the passing of her husband. While most of the narrative surrounds the making of her movie in Japan, which I enjoyed immensely, her memories of life with "him" on their Pennsylvania farm, their family, and other memories were much different than my experience of losing my husband nearly ten years ago and also my recent loss. She didn't delve deeply into her emotions which she did have and yet her description was very inward, private, almost serene or even placid. It could be in part that she was a woman of her time, early 1960's when "he" died. Pearl S. Buck was not avant-garde nor thrilling as a writer. She wrote as she was: mild-mannered with no ambition for adventure but somehow in the midst of it. The last page ties all the previous pages together and tells how she survived her husband death. I await reading more of Pearl S. Buck.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl Buck's commentary on the making of a movie version, in Japan, of her book "The Big Wave". During the making of the movie, her husband died. Interwoven in the story are her reflections on her feelings of losing her husband. While some have indicated the story is nonfiction, the copyright summary indicates it is fiction as it relates to some people in the story. I am not sure I agree with the copyright because some of the people, such as the special effects person, is a real person involved with developing special effects in Japanese movies. The story was interesting. Although the movie was made in the 60s and might be hard to find I plan to try to find and view it, just to relive the different scenes mentioned in the story. I read the story over a period of time and the writing made it easy to put down and pick up again.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl S. Buck provides a lovely autobiographical tale of her experiences shooting the film "The Big Wave" in Japan and the death of her husband. Her interweaving of the details of contemporary Japanese life and the clash between westernization and the preservation of traditional culture and nostalgic stories, both good and bad, of her late husband provide interesting context to her life. I find her to be an extremely interesting character, who was born in the East and became a prolific writer of Eastern stories in the west, and her writing style continues to amaze me. This book was very lovely, and provided me with a nice insight into the mind of this wonderful author.

[Linda Branton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I brought this slim novel as a vacation read. Buck starts the novel with her impression of her layover visit to glorious Hawaii, which was where I was headed for a short vacation. Her description of the Honolulu of the 1960's was lovely. I adore Pearl Buck's writing style; both personal and carefully crafted.

The remainder of the wee book described her journey back to Japan to make a movie of one of her books intertwined with her processing of the loss of her husband. At one point one of her well-meaning friends mentions that death is just the loss of the flesh/body. And Buck responds with the deep loss that the flesh is the only way that our souls can communicate. Sigh.

[Karen R. Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir was fascinating...didn't have any idea about its contents. Having spent time in Japan, I totally enjoyed seeing Buck's experiences there, and it brought to life a lot of what I do recall about the people from my time there. As for Buck's reminiscences of her late husband, and her adjustments to life without him, interesting is one word for it, but I, being a believer in the One God and His life everlasting for us, felt very sad that Buck felt the need to breach the gap between life and death with science...perhaps in honor of her atheist husband. That's just sad to me. Buck gives a lot of food for thought, however.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read about Buck's first few months of grief following the death of her husband and publisher, Richard Walsh. In the midst of filming a movie in Japan based on her book, The Big Wave, she receives the sad news, travels home for the funeral, but returns to Japan. I learned a lot about movie making in the 60s, and felt for her as she wrote about her loneliness. A very good example of memoir.

[Joanie Chevalier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book in which Pearl S. Buck tells the reader about her trip to Japan to help in the filming of her book, The Big Wave. She touches on the loneliness and being only ‘one’ now instead of ‘two’ after her partner dies. (It sounds like it was a long ordeal, and he died while she was in Japan.) Buck writes beautifully and her words are like an effortless stream rolling over smooth boulders.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread it again almost immediately and referred to it many times to friends.

Took me a while to realize it's a biography mostly focused on the time frame when her husband died and her dealing with the grief and one of her books becoming a movie.

She didn't use many actual names, and so you end up using your people and self into parts

[Jackie Wayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed exploring the life of Pearl Buck. Her portrayal of Japanese personalities and culture was insightful.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful tale of life after losing a spouse.

[د. موضي النشمي · Rating 2 out of 5]

مذكرات الكاتبيه عندما ذهبت الي الصين لتصوير فيلم سينمائي

[Septima Snape · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful writing

[Gloria Sarmiento Fuertes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien escrito, pero un tostón muy poco interesante y eso que es mi autora favorita de mi adolescencia

[Cora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was more of a therapeutic write for Pearl S Buck. She had watched her husband's mind deteriorate for some time, slowly losing him to Alzheimer’s. While she was in Japan for filming of one of her novels turned movie, he passed. She returned home for the funeral and to put things in order. Then she had to proceed forward with her life, which meant returning to Japan for the filming of The Big Wave. I think that writing this book was her way of dealing with the reality of her life transitioning and accepting that her husband was gone.

Although I have not read The Big Wave, nor watched the movie which released in 1961, reading this made me curious. So I might add it to my Pearl S. Buck's list of books to read.

[Rich DeMartin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eloquent.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl S. Buck, A Bridge for Passing (Pocket, 1962)

The strength of Pearl Buck's writing, it becomes evident from page one, is in her ability to tell a story as if she were sitting next to you sipping lemonade on an unseasonably cool August day. Her observations are flowery, well-described, and often at least a touch naïve; one wonders, had she written the book ten years later, if it would have had the same tone it does.

A Bridge for Passing intertwines the filming of her novel The Big Wave, the first major collaboration between Japanese and American filmmakers (and now unforgivably obscure), with the death of her husband of twenty-five years. And oddly, though the ratio of the two in page real estate is about 90/10, the reviews, the blurbs, and the cover reverse the ratio when talking about the book. To the rest of the world, it seems, A Bridge for Passing was a precursor to the spate of books that started appearing roughly a decade later about how to handle major life crises. The movie was just an afterthought.

Not so, Othello. The movie is the mechanism by which Buck learns to deal with her grief, true, but there is much more to it than that. This is no fictional memoir; we are treated to the lives of real people, most of whom have remained obscure from the American perspective, but some of whom are not (Big Wave director Ted Danielewski, for example, has a pair of kids well known to media critics, House of Leaves author Mark Danielewski and his sister, the singer known as Poe). And when one keeps one's mind on the idea that these are real people, one starts to realize the enormity of the task Buck and her cohorts have set themselves. This is not just an on location shoot, this is politics of the highest order (and only fifteen years after the unpleasantness at the end of World War II).

There is much to be said for the way in which her husband's death pervades the book, but any Buck fans who have avoided this, fearing it to be nothing but a celebrity-penned self-help tome, put your fears at ease. This one's a keeper. *** ½

[Linore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize this book was autobiographical when I picked it up, but the fact that it was, made it all the more enjoyable for me. Pearl S. Buck has been a favorite author of mine since I read The Good Earth when I was a kid. I've read other of her books, but not for many years. Reading this one reminded me why I love her writing so much. She is uniquely gifted in the description of people and places, giving you just enough to fascinate you but never bore. I love the calmness in her tone; even when she describes the most amazing, adventurous events, such as when she once stayed outside, hiding in a cleft of rocks to watch a typhoon in Japan, the writing is calm. She doesn't waste a word, either. Her dry humour is so funny, too. This book, while some of the content was sad, was truly a delight to read. Some of the vignettes of the sweet Japanese people she encounters and worked with in this book are great entertainment. My only regret is that Ms. Buck did not seem to internalize the Christian truths regarding creation and eternity that her parents (Christian missionaries)certainly believed. She knows a scripture for a good analogy when she needs it, but the soul-searching questions she asks are evidence of deep gaps in her theology. Nevertheless, a great read by a great lady. I'm joining the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, which I never knew existed until now.

[Dawn Weaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 'beloved writer's testament of faith which tell how, after a great sorrow she found her way back to life' is bound to be enjoyed most by those who have read her more noteworthy books. This one is more of a journal of the first year of widowhood in which Mrs. Buck distracted herself by overseeing the filming of her book The Big Wave in Japan. It has some cultural interest, showing the changes underway in Japan at its writing (1962), changes which have intensified since. And still there are tsunamis... But it does not really offer much solid comfort or advice for dealing with grief.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder if this one deals with the unrest and changing times in China.

I remember reading about Pearl Buck going through the same incident as a child and as a mother with a child, and the reactions she and her mother before her faced from the Chinese person (different each time of course) the child had offended and the mother placated by speaking the Chinese way.

Towards the end she makes it clear she thought it was a mistake for US to break diplomatic relations with China when they went communist.

Monday, September 13, 2010
...........................................


That might have been a part of My Several Worlds, after all, but this one is definitely autobiographical.

[Manish · Rating 3 out of 5]

While scouting in Japan for locations and characters to bring alive one of her works on the silver screen, Buck gets informed of the passing away of her ailing husband. This work chronicles the days, emotions and memories that haunted her during this period. Memorable for the vivid descriptions of the Japanese - their changing values and the geography of the islands.

[Rafael Rodrigues · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um diário da gravação de um filme interessante, porém contada de dentro da bolha da autora. Vale a pena ler e fazer o exercício de notar os vários momentos de elitismo, preconceito e ostentação. Muito válido para aprender um pouco sobre a cultura japonesa. A melhor parte, bem bonita e bastante poética é quando narra a relação dela com o finado marido.

[Jasmine Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

She...is amazing. In this book, she discusses her grief over her husbands death, with both memory and relation to her present moment in life. It is well written, and reflects cultural values, norms and her keen observational skills in dealing with grief in an entirely different culture.