The Gold Demon

by K?y? Ozaki

Excerpt from The Gold Demon


About the Publisher

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Japan, Classics

596 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2010

Reviews

[Diana Trăncău · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Nothing is so painful as to be misunderstood.”

“Tonight I feel strangely lonely and this is a new burden added to the old.”

“How foolish was I to despise the idea that Nature could cure the disease of my soul. Nature to me has always meant dull earth and water. How beautiful are the mountains and yet they are but heaps of earth; how cheering is the river, and yet it is but water! How much more to be despised am I, than that which I disdained to know.”

“Nature is finding an inlet to my soul, and will drive out all its impurity. I shall forget my sorrow, forget my pain and weariness; I shall feel as light as yonder cloud, my heart as fresh as the mountain spring.”

“We have one life, and of it we can make a gem, or a common brick. Return to your former self and the jewel will still shine.”

[Jovana Vesper · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... I'm really moved by this book. Though it was presented as a romance novel it is much more than just that. It deals with the state of mind in which someone can get to after tremendous disappointment and heartbrake. How everything that you are as a person can be questioned once all the things you thought you can count on are gone and everything that has defined your life suddenly has lost its value. Principles, moral, way of thinking and judging, emotions ..all of that is debatable and can be subjected to change.
This book also deals with regret and how guilt can kill you. Also I do really enjoy in theatricality that Japanese writers have. The language is old and gives a note of class. I'm really sad because it was never finished. Its a warm recommendation.

[Lidik · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing exploration of what love entails. It must be deep, actionable, and committed.

You know it’s peak writing when I can read 600 pages and work two jobs in the same day. The interplay between how you act in your romantic relationships (and just show love to people in general) and your morality is something that really stands out in the work. But oh my word, Miya straight up made me want to punch a wall, she was so immature. I swear, that woman was some evil spirit, ruining her life and others’ with her refusal to make responsible decisions. Very different vibes compared to Japanese literature from the 1900s, you can feel the influence of the Edo and Meiji periods in how the characters reason and think.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most famous Japanese novels from the Meiji period, "The Gold Demon" (Konjiki Yasha) was first published in serialized form in a Japanese newspaper. To say that this is a romance novel would be a gross misstatement. It is about the complex relationship between two people who are engaged. The story is compelling and popular enough that it has been adapted into movie(s) with multiple remakes (no fewer than 14) and TV dramas in Japan and Taiwan - a pity that very few Western readers have ever heard of this book.

[MameYakko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in the original Japanese version, but it was a kind of difficult for me to read at first because it is written in the traditional literary language which is no longer used in Japan.
However, once I got used to the style, I started enjoying the content of the novel itself.
It is a shame that this novel is actually not complete because the author died before its completion....

[Valerie Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat strange book, as it is neither finished (Ozaki died before finishing) nor properly translated (the translator describes it as “re-written” instead, and acknowledges taking some liberties to abridge and anglicize the work). For these reasons, as an English reader I feel like I’ve read an impression of Ozaki’s story rather than his actual novel. That’s not to say there’s anything bare bones about this book…it’s quite long, and there’s still plenty of description and monologuing. Besides the abrupt, unsatisfying ending, it still mostly reads like a fully fleshed out novel. And an engaging one at that…the story itself isn’t particularly unique and the style certainly feels outdated and sometimes tedious to a modern reader…but still it always kept me wondering what would happen next. Probably because it was originally written as a serial novel, each chapter leads smoothly into the next. And I’m always down for a good story of betrayal. However, this book unfortunately just leads to frustration without a proper ending and I can’t forget that this story is not what Ozaki intended it to be. But I think if you’re very interested in Japanese literature this book is an interesting little bit of history and a fairly quick read.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why this book has been identified as a piece of cultural significance. Enlightening and raw, definitely a masterpiece.

[Ivana Delic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Po svemu neobičan roman o izdaji jedne ljubavi, posledicama takve odluke, razočarenju, kajanju, patnji. Ova priča je, na žalost, ostala nezavršena zbog bolesti, koja je Kohia prekinula u radu i od čijih posledica je preminuo.
Kaniči i Mija odrastali su i sazrevali zajedno kao bliski prijatelji, njihovo suštinsko razumevanje, povezanost i duboka naklonost prerasli su u nežnu, toplu ljubav. Planove o veridbi i braku saseklo je pojavljivanje autoritativnog Tadacuge, bogataša koji je navikao da ima sve. Moć koju nosi novac za Miju je bila preveliko iskušenje, odluku je donela munjevito, zgrabila je svoju priliku i ostavila Kaničija. Od tog trenutka, dve osobe tako slične i povezane, započinju novi život svaka u svom svetu.
Izuzetno složen odnos dvoje ljudi, s notom teatralnosti i notom arhaičnog izraza, dočarao mi je kulturu i običaje Japana i ovu knjigu učinio zanimljivom i neobičnom.

[emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty boring, to be honest. i could not invest myself in the plot or care about any of the characters’ fates—though, the characters were interesting! Ozaki’s writing style is also very pleasing to read; he was a mentor to Kyouka Izumi, and i can see the similarities between their styles, as they’re both pleasures! however, i just was...rather bored and overall underwhelmed by Golden Demon. if i find any more of Kouyou Ozaki’s works, i’ll be sure to pick them up.