Цикада и сверчок

by Yasunari Kawabata

A man watches as children engage in a favorite childhood activity and, from his vantage point as an outsider looking in, turns a seemingly chance event into a life lesson.

Genres: Short Stories, Japanese Literature, Fiction, Japan, Classics

608 pages, Hardcover

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

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story!!!!!
How events in our youth can be so meaningful yet we are too young to comprehend that.

[Ray Denbrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time reading for Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. The story is full of themes and symbols about life, loss and destiny. I liked the poetic language of the author!
The narrator of this story is an adult,observing some kids, who hunting insects at night. Later, he realizes some facts just from observibg those kids!
Some symbols are related to Japanese culture especially when it comes to cricket and grasshopper. Red and green colors . I think knowing these things, will help to deeply understand the point of this neat short story!

[Zai Zai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I didn't connect to this as powerfully as I would've expected, it is still a pleasant read that fuels lots of melancholy.

[Shirley (stampartiste) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short-story in The World's Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley. This book contains an excellent sample of short stories by well-known authors of the 19th and 20th centuries.

This Japanese short story (1924) is hard to describe, but it is such a sweet story to read and reflect on.

[cole ✧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

[reyla]

i don’t get this one therefore i will not rate it. i know it’s about love and childhood innocence and maybe death (i’m thinking bc of lanterns and children???) but it won’t mash together in my mind.

[Jalyssa Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it in my class, and thought it was a beautiful story that has a lot of meaning, filled with many themes

[Shuggy L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

To review - 12/30/24.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about youthful love, and the confusions and insecurities abound within.

[Eadweard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little short story.

[A Battleground · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful short story. Just lovely. http://www.avclub.com/article/what-ar...

[Shavit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effing beautiful. So much said in 4 pages.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ Set in Japan.