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Matari
Thus begins the most dramatic and moving of Luke Rhinehart’s books. He has woven an exciting story of three samurai and the beautiful woman they each love, trapped by their very virtues into deadly conflict. Oboko is the poet of the wind, a peace-loving student of Zen; Izzi, the lusty, life-loving court poet on his way to serve the great Lord Arishi, a proud samurai who has vowed to kill Matari, who he believes has been unfaithful. When Lord Arishi’s samurai pursue them, Oboko, Izzi and Matari each must choose, with each of their lives in the balance.
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
3 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Luke Rhinehart
31 books436 followersLuke Rhinehart was the pen name of the author George Cockcroft.
He was born in the United States, son of an engineer and a civil servant. He received a BA from Cornell University and an MA from Columbia University. Subsequently he received a PhD in psychology, also from Columbia. He married his wife, Ann, on June 30, 1956. He has three children.
After obtaining his PhD, he went into teaching. During his years as a university teacher he taught, among other things, courses in Zen and Western literature. He first floated the idea of living according to the casting of dice in a lecture. The reaction was reportedly of equal parts intrigue and disgust, and it was at this point he realized it could become a novel. Cockcroft began experimenting with dice a long time before writing The Dice Man, but this made progress on the novel rather slow.
In 1971, London-based publisher, Talmy Franklin, published The Dice Man, Cockcroft's first novel as Luke Rhinehart. Soon afterwards, Cockcroft was engaged in the creation of a dice center in New York City.
In 1975, he was involved in a round-the-world voyage in a large trimaran ketch. Later, he spent some time in a sailboat in the Mediterranean, where he taught English and from there moved to a former Sufi retreat on the edge of a lake in Canaan, New York.
On 1 August 2012, at the age of 80, Cockcroft arranged for his own death to be announced, as a joke.
Cockcroft passed away (for real) at the age of 87 on November 6. 2020.
He was born in the United States, son of an engineer and a civil servant. He received a BA from Cornell University and an MA from Columbia University. Subsequently he received a PhD in psychology, also from Columbia. He married his wife, Ann, on June 30, 1956. He has three children.
After obtaining his PhD, he went into teaching. During his years as a university teacher he taught, among other things, courses in Zen and Western literature. He first floated the idea of living according to the casting of dice in a lecture. The reaction was reportedly of equal parts intrigue and disgust, and it was at this point he realized it could become a novel. Cockcroft began experimenting with dice a long time before writing The Dice Man, but this made progress on the novel rather slow.
In 1971, London-based publisher, Talmy Franklin, published The Dice Man, Cockcroft's first novel as Luke Rhinehart. Soon afterwards, Cockcroft was engaged in the creation of a dice center in New York City.
In 1975, he was involved in a round-the-world voyage in a large trimaran ketch. Later, he spent some time in a sailboat in the Mediterranean, where he taught English and from there moved to a former Sufi retreat on the edge of a lake in Canaan, New York.
On 1 August 2012, at the age of 80, Cockcroft arranged for his own death to be announced, as a joke.
Cockcroft passed away (for real) at the age of 87 on November 6. 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 6, 2018
Matari is a complete departure from the author's usual style and material. It is a somewhat Americanised version of ancient Japan - rather like Kurosawa's Seven Samurai rendered as The Magnificent Seven. It is unfortunate that the male protagonist is given a female name ending (Oboko) but otherwise the characters are well written, and the shocking ending is truly moving.
March 26, 2020
Zen-inspired tragic tale of honour and betrayal in 18th century Japan, written plainly and with appropriate restraint by - of all people - the author of the excessive 1970s satire The Dice Man.
This short novel could hardly be more different, with Rhinehart clearly respectful of the time, place and culture of the subject, bookending and littering the story with idiomatic poems and sayings.
It will surprise you if you only know the writer's more famous work. You may enjoy reading this over a sedate, wintry weekend, as I did.
This short novel could hardly be more different, with Rhinehart clearly respectful of the time, place and culture of the subject, bookending and littering the story with idiomatic poems and sayings.
It will surprise you if you only know the writer's more famous work. You may enjoy reading this over a sedate, wintry weekend, as I did.
November 27, 2021
Voilà un court roman, conte d'inspiration japonaise
En hommage à cette culture, d'un auteur que je ne connaissais pas.
Nous allons suivre deux poètes et la femme d'un seigneur, qui s'est enfuie de son royaume
Traquée par son mari samouraï qui est persuadé de devoir la tuer (car elle l'a trompée, en quelque sorte).
Bien que je sois parti confiant et que
Les 100 premières pagent nous lancent plutôt doucement dans l'intrigue,
Arrivé au moment où l'on croit que les choses vont enfin démarrer dans ce huis clos,
N'ai-je pas ressenti une grande déception lorsque je me suis rendu
Compte que l'ennui faisait partie du récit.
,
Non, aucune des blagues ne m'a fait rire, les poèmes ne m'ont pas transcendé, et
O dessus de tout, je n'ai vraiment pas compris et aimé la relation amoureuse principale.
Il ne se passe vraiment pas grand-chose dans cette histoire, et malheureusement je me suis rendu compte que plus le temps passerait, plus je ne me souviendrais de
Rien, la concernant.
Ce côté un petit peu dépaysant (dû à la culture japonaise) est la seule chose que je retiendrais je pense,
Avant d'oublier cette déception.
Vent Blanc, Cavalier Noir est un sp que j'ai reçu de la part des éditions
Aux forges de Vulcain,
Les en remerciant.
Incapable de faire une chronique "négative" de cette maison que j'adore,
En effet j'ai plutôt écrit un petit acrostiche que j'espère divertissant, et en voulant vous
Rassurer : peut-être vous plaira-t-il plus qu'à moi.
En hommage à cette culture, d'un auteur que je ne connaissais pas.
Nous allons suivre deux poètes et la femme d'un seigneur, qui s'est enfuie de son royaume
Traquée par son mari samouraï qui est persuadé de devoir la tuer (car elle l'a trompée, en quelque sorte).
Bien que je sois parti confiant et que
Les 100 premières pagent nous lancent plutôt doucement dans l'intrigue,
Arrivé au moment où l'on croit que les choses vont enfin démarrer dans ce huis clos,
N'ai-je pas ressenti une grande déception lorsque je me suis rendu
Compte que l'ennui faisait partie du récit.
,
Non, aucune des blagues ne m'a fait rire, les poèmes ne m'ont pas transcendé, et
O dessus de tout, je n'ai vraiment pas compris et aimé la relation amoureuse principale.
Il ne se passe vraiment pas grand-chose dans cette histoire, et malheureusement je me suis rendu compte que plus le temps passerait, plus je ne me souviendrais de
Rien, la concernant.
Ce côté un petit peu dépaysant (dû à la culture japonaise) est la seule chose que je retiendrais je pense,
Avant d'oublier cette déception.
Vent Blanc, Cavalier Noir est un sp que j'ai reçu de la part des éditions
Aux forges de Vulcain,
Les en remerciant.
Incapable de faire une chronique "négative" de cette maison que j'adore,
En effet j'ai plutôt écrit un petit acrostiche que j'espère divertissant, et en voulant vous
Rassurer : peut-être vous plaira-t-il plus qu'à moi.
November 28, 2012
Matari is currently out-of-print and very hard to find. It was published in the US under the name of White Wind, Black Rider.
I really enjoyed this book, very interesting characters, an exciting plot, authentic portrayal of culture and times, poetic text and a thrilling conclusion. It's a shame more people haven't read it.
I really enjoyed this book, very interesting characters, an exciting plot, authentic portrayal of culture and times, poetic text and a thrilling conclusion. It's a shame more people haven't read it.
July 1, 2018
Kitapta nerdiyese hiç yok konu boş karakterlere detay verilebilirdi usta enso detaylandırılabilinirdi.
Karakteri matrak göstermesi kitabı akıcı kılıyor ancak ne yazık ki bu yeterli değil. Sonunu da hiç sevmedim. Tavsiye etmiyorum
Luke Rhinehartın zar adam kitabını okuyun bunun yerine çok daha güzel
Karakteri matrak göstermesi kitabı akıcı kılıyor ancak ne yazık ki bu yeterli değil. Sonunu da hiç sevmedim. Tavsiye etmiyorum
Luke Rhinehartın zar adam kitabını okuyun bunun yerine çok daha güzel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2019
Luke Rhinehart'ı da Zar Adam'dan sonra takip etmeye ve onun kitaplarını muhakkak çıkar çıkmaz almaya gayret ettim. Bunu okuduğumda belki de yeterince anlayabilecek bilgi ve kültür birikimim yoktu. Konu ilgimi çekmişti fakat belki de tekrar okumam gerekecek bir kitap...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews