The Dancing Girl of Izu

by Yasunari Kawabata

A 1926 short story by the Japanese writer and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata.

Genres: Short Stories, Japanese Literature, Japan, Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nobel Prize

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

Yasunari Kawabata (川端 康成) was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read today.
Nobel Lecture: 1968
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prize...

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naturally, I did not speak.

Love fades in the most curious of ways. Differences between characters, tastes, choices. Monotony; the attraction seems to dwindle through the years, in a minute. It evaporates when someone loves too much whereas the other person only exists, yearning for another opportunity. The tragedy of never being in love with somebody else's mind. Admiration slowly fades away. A growing indifference that cannot be concealed behind a thousand cherry blossoms. Possibilities that offer a myriad of colors and shapes.

A young student from Tokyo in a solitary journey through the Izu Peninsula. A walk of endless miles. The search for opportunities only to take a look at her face. To listen to the sound of her drum; evidence that she is still there.

I could not bear the silences when the drum stopped. I sank down into the depths of the sound of the rain. (13)

The universe conspires nothing; it is you deliberately looking for a fortunate stroke of serendipity. And then you achieve it. And then you stay silent. Because it is not your turn to speak and doubt floods your disquieted heart and you have to keep your sense of pride intact. The human way to go. The most common pretext to flee from the extraordinary.

This story is about one of the possible reasons as to why infatuation fades. Kawabata portrays with perfection the nature of first love. A love blended with torment which later dissolved into thin air after a misunderstanding.
The burden disappeared. As to the extent of the burden, I think we all have a standard against which to measure it. We all have made its acquaintance.

The moment you realize you are free ends with a burst of laughter.



Dec 12, 15
* Also on my blog.
** This is a review of the short story. Review of the entire collection here.

[Laurens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uit het Engels vertaald weliswaar, maar daarom niet minder mooi. Wel een tikkie borderline pedoseksueel, dit hoofdpersonage, maar goede literatuur mag schuren. En dit is toch echt goede literatuur.

[Laurent De Maertelaer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prachtige korte novelle over een student op doorreis langs het eiland Izu die verliefd wordt op een te jong danseresje van een rondreizend gezelschap en zijn rouwproces wanneer hij haar moet verlaten. Melancholie zoals alleen Kawabata die kan voorzien, broeierig opwindend, nooit sentimenteel.
Mooie vertaling door H.C. ten Berge, editie van 1969.

[Jessada_K · Rating 4 out of 5]

ชอบๆๆ
นิ่งๆ เรียบๆ แต่ลึกซึ้ง
ห้วงอารมณ์แห่งรักของชายหนุ่ม ที่ผ่านพบระหว่างการออกไปผจญภัยในชีวิต
และเมื่อถึงการที่ต้องลาจาก
เราจะทำอะไรได้ดีไปกว่า การโบกมือร่ำลากันอย่างเงียบงัน
เผื่อกลับมาพบกับน้ำตาของตัวเอง

[Josephine Wajer-Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verfijnde novelle, al in 1926 geschreven door nobelprijswinnaar Yasunari Kawabata. De verteller maakt een voettocht over het schiereiland Izu. 'Ik was 19 geworden om mezelf te zien als eenzame mislukkeling, en die gedachte wekte de neerslachtigheid welke mij had aangezet tot deze reis naar Izu'. Op deze reis ontmoet de hoofdpersonage een jong danseresje uit een rondtrekkend dansgezelschap. Hij voelt zich onmiddellijk tot haar aangetrokken maar komt langzaam maar zeker tot het zelfinzicht dat het meisje niet het object is van zijn verlangens. Hij besluit afscheid te nemen van haar. 'Het leek of mijn hoofd in helder water was veranderd -zachtjes liep het weg, druppel voor druppel; weldra zou er niets meer over zijn.'

[jas chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: 3★
Writing: 5★

[Gonzalo Zamora Galleguillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pucha no se si ponerle 3 estrellas porque si fue un libro bonito, pero es verdad que la traducción hace que se sienta que algo falta. Hace poco un profesor dijo que Kawabata era simbolista, por lo que el juego lingüístico que hacía en su lengua nativa se pierde por completo al saltar a otro idioma, y con ello también se siente la ausencia de parte del peso de lo escrito. Otra cosa es que por lo que vi, la traducción que hay al español es en base a la primera en inglés que tuvo cambios y cortes aplicados al original japonés.

Aun así la novela te genera cierta añoranza y nostalgia, esa fijación en la juventud y su sentido como punto álgido del humano. Una admiración y verguenza que termina sintiendo una generación mayor. Aunque, comparando con otros autores, me faltó quizás un poco más de compromiso con la realidad material del autor, queda muy como arte por el arte, que no es tan lo mío.

[Berit Lundqvist · Rating 2 out of 5]

A twenty-year-old student on summer holiday needs to get away from everything. He decides to go hiking. After a while he joins some itinerant entertainers, who perform for people in tea houses along the way.

One of the performers is a dancer, a beautiful young girl. Naturalky, the student falls secretly in love with her. During their short time together, he discovers the world as it is with its cruelty and class differences.

No, this one wasn’t for me. I was bored, since the story was totally predictable. It was, however, an interesting insight in Japanese culture.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle

[Yasya Kh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this short story is about attraction between two strangers who meet when travelling. few short fleeting moments, glances but when they part the pain of separation feels real.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siento haber dicho en mi otra lectura que no me gustaba kawabata. Me retracto pero porque aquí pienso que su estilo de escritura es muy bonito y limpio.

[Mané · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acabado una noche, vuelto a leer a la mañana siguiente.

Sucesión de personajes y de historias para engancharte en 30 páginas.

Primer libro que leo de Kawabata y se ve claramente que es maestro de Mishima, pero también me transmite la misma energía de inocencia de un Pavese.

Preciosa historia sobre enamorarse, hacer de todo para mantener la imagen que proyecta la persona de la que te enamoras y la futilidad del sentimiento.

[Florin Murarașu-Catană · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can understand that in the time it was written, Kawabata's first published story had quite a succes given its subject and the directness of its narrative. However, compared to "Snow country" and "The lake" I feel that it hasn't aged very well, especially since I felt a bit disappointed by the abrupt end.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fascinating to see that early Kawabata already possesses the traits that define his later work: a dreamy-but-grounded sense of observation that expresses both loneliness and an aching desire to connect; a poet’s eye to evoke through image (i.e., Eliot’s “objective correlative”); and a melancholic sense of beauty and loss.

[Matthew Zhao · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No. I've just said good-by to someone." I saw
no need to disguise the truth, and I was quite unashamed of my tears.

I initially started reading this short story because I liked the song odoriko by Vaundy. Listen to the song after reading and read the lyrics.

[Leon_naquin · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice and short

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=th...#

[Angel c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complicated story, probably won't read again.

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Florencia Montenegro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un breve intervalo en la vida de un joven, una ilusión y una despedida. Tan sutil pero tan profundo, como sólo el maestro Kawabata puede lograr.

[Monica]

Gelezen op Izu.

[Roadtotherisingsun · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story filled with Kawabatas elegant writing. Simply put: beautiful.

[Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un breve pero bello relato sobre la conmovedora bondad que se puede encontrar en la vida cotidiana.

[Samuel Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kawabata may be unable to disappoint no matter what I pick up of his. I had read “Snow country” on a whim after walking past it in my local book store. I described my experience as “therapeutic.” That feeling continues into this short story. His writing style is like a marble steadily rolling down a track. So smooth to read and non-stop beautiful. This story of a young 19yo boy meeting up with a group of Geisha’s in the country side, and joining them on their adventure town to town, there’s so much emotion in such a tightly packed story.

[Sr. R0S4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of "what could have" rather than what did...

[Profession · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time I decided to read something traditionally japanese. Though I was familiar with japanese culture, mentality, habits etc., I've never met the pen of Japanese writers as well as the way they're thinking. But in the writing style of Kawabata-san is easily recognized japanese character traits especially minimalism.

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The boy opened his lunch and I ate as though it were mine. Afterwards I covered myself with part of his cape. I floated in a beautiful emptiness, and it seemed natural that I should take advantage of his kindness. Everything sank into an enfolding harmony."