2018-04-08

So Lovely a Country Will Never Perish: Wartime Diaries of Japanese Writers (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture)

So Lovely a Country Will Never Perish: Wartime Diaries of Japanese Writers (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture)

Review

Keene shows the complicated and varied reactions to the war.--Lorien Kaye"The Age" (01/01/0001)

Keene has scoured the wartime diaries of numerous Japanese writers and judiciously woven excerpts into an elegant narrative that provides some acute insights into the mentality of the Japanese during the years of their greatest crisis. --Anthony Head"Times Literary Supplement" (01/01/0001)

[A] superb little book.--Ian Buruma"New York Review of Books" (10/14/2010)

Praise for Donald Keene "The century's leading expert on Japanese literature, as well as its most indefatigable translator."--Anatole Broyard, "New York Times Book Review""A writer with an unobtrusively elegant style, a sneaky wit, and a unique perspective. Professor Keene is not only America's preeminent scholar of Japanese literature but also one of the most eminent literay scholars in Japan."-- "New Yorker""[Keen] is a master narrator with an eye for fascinating details."-- "Library Journal""America's most renowned scholar and interpreter of Japan."-- "Foreword""Our most important scholar of Japanese literature."-- "World Literature Today"

"The century's leading expert on Japanese literature, as well as its most indefatigable translator."--Anatole Broyard, "New York Times Book Review""A writer with an unobtrusively elegant style, a sneaky wit, and a unique perspective. Professor Keene is not only America's preeminent scholar of Japanese literature but also one of the most eminent literay scholars in Japan."--"New Yorker""[Keen] is a master narrator with an eye for fascinating details."--"Library Journal""America's most renowned scholar and interpreter of Japan."--"Foreword""Our most important scholar of Japanese literature."--"World Literature Today"

"The century's leading expert on Japanese literature, as well as its most indefatigable translator."--Anatole Broyard, New York Times Book Review"A writer with an unobtrusively elegant style, a sneaky wit, and a unique perspective. Professor Keene is not only America's preeminent scholar of Japanese literature but also one of the most eminent literay scholars in Japan."--New Yorker"[Keen] is a master narrator with an eye for fascinating details."--Library Journal"America's most renowned scholar and interpreter of Japan."--Foreword"Our most important scholar of Japanese literature."--World Literature Today

[A] superb little book.--Ian Buruma"New York Review of Books" (10/14/2010)

[A] superb little book.--Ian Buruma-New York Review of Books- (10/14/2010)

The century's leading expert on Japanese literature, as well as its most indefatigable translator.--Anatole Broyard "New York Times Book Review "

Keene shows the complicated and varied reactions to the war.--Lorien Kaye"The Age" (01/01/0001)

Keene has scoured the wartime diaries of numerous Japanese writers and judiciously woven excerpts into an elegant narrative that provides some acute insights into the mentality of the Japanese during the years of their greatest crisis.--Anthony Head"Times Literary Supplement" (01/01/0001)

Keene shows the complicated and varied reactions to the war.--Lorien Kaye "The Age "

Keene has scoured the wartime diaries of numerous Japanese writers and judiciously woven excerpts into an elegant narrative that provides some acute insights into the mentality of the Japanese during the years of their greatest crisis.--Anthony Head "Times Literary Supplement "

[A] superb little book.--Ian Buruma "New York Review of Books "
---- Product Description


The attack on Pearl Harbor, which precipitated the Greater East Asia War and its initial triumphs, aroused pride and a host of other emotions among the Japanese people. Yet the single year in which Japanese forces occupied territory from Alaska to Indonesia was followed by three years of terrible defeat. Nevertheless, until the shattering end of the war, many Japanese continued to believe in the invincibility of their country. But in the diaries of well-known writers& mdash;including Nagai Kafu, Takami Jun, Yamada Futaru, and Hirabayashi Taiko& mdash;and the scholar Watanabe Kazuo, varying doubts were vividly, though privately, expressed.

Donald Keene, renowned scholar of Japan, selects from these diaries, some written by authors he knew well. Their revelations were sometimes poignant, sometimes shocking to Keene. Ito Sei's fervent patriotism and even claims of racial superiority stand in stark contrast to the soft-spoken, kindly man Keene knew. Weaving archival materials with personal recollections and the intimate accounts themselves, Keene reproduces the passions aroused during the war and the sharply contrasting reactions in the year following Japan's surrender. Whether detailed or fragmentary, these entries communicate the reality of false victory and all-too-real defeat.

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Exultation, confusion, disbelief, vengeance - hard road to a brave new world
ByHarryon October 29, 2013
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As Donald Keene notes, the records from the diaries written during the epic events of WWII in Japan are probably more truthful than records written after 1945. The diarists have recorded their feelings at the time of the events, not as sanitised or re-rendered for a post-war world. And some of them are highly disturbing (and perhaps embarrassing for the authors) - all the more disturbing as they are from the diaries of educated and highly cultured writers.

The bloodlust of Yamada Futaro is interesting - but I guess even far-right nutters can be good writers (did he still think Hitler was a fallen hero when the truth came out?). His desire for vengeance against the US and Britain continued on into the new world, looking forward to the next war and a reversal of fortunes, and was probably stoked by his disappointment that the occupying forces did not impose the reign of terror he expected. At worst, there was some crass behaviour he objected to - some of it unsurprising. I mean, what was the US thinking, flying large formations of B-29s over Tokyo in August 1946, presumably in some perverse celebration of the first anniversary of the war's end. Can't imagine it brought warm fuzzy feelings to the Japanese citizens looking up from the ruins of Tokyo.

Other writers were also surprised by the conciliatory approach of the occupying forces - the fact that long desired freedoms were implemented by the foreign powers and not by their own government. These authors had seen the Japanese army's atrocities inflicted on citizens of China and thought that was the standard approach taken by a conquering army.

An interesting book, tracking the exultation after the bombing of Pearl Harbour and that first year of victories, followed by confusion, disbelief and despair as the tide turned and the Japanese forces were steadily driven back to their land of the gods. All followed by more confusion, disbelief and joy over the surrender and steady emergence of a new Japan.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Very enlightening.
ByFernando F. Aransayon December 6, 2013
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I guess there must be other books based on diaries and similar sources, but I was sure delighted to read this one. Not just one diary, as we are mostly used to, but a short and edited selection of diaries: all of them by professional writers, which deliberately puts the focus on a particular sample of society, cleverly intertwined with the explanations of the author.

I think Mr. Keene does a very good job. To see the days of WWII and after through the eyes of Japanese writers is a unique experience which I would have never been able to enjoy were it not for this work, no matter how modest in its endeavour.

From my armchair, I felt the opinions of the author were rather balanced, notwithstanding his obvious simpathy for Japan, probably counterbalanced by his being an American.

Last but not least, to confront the thoughts, experiences and feelings of other human beings suffering in time of war is always a humbling lesson, not to be underrated.

I do recommend it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
As the Sun Set
ByChristian Schlecton July 18, 2010
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Thoughts of literary Japanese diarists during and in the close aftermath of World War II are selected and commented on by a master, Donald Keene.

Interesting information, such as the emotional impact of the USSR's declaration of war in the war's final days and the varied reactions to the presence of the U.S. occupation forces, is contained throughout this short volume.

For those who might be unaware of Professor Keene, I highly recommend his memoirs, "Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan."

As an aside, Chang Jae Lee deserves applause for the design of the book and its jacket.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Japanese suspicions of the war
ByJune G.on April 27, 2013
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This is an interesting insight into Japanese thought during World War II. One can see the transition from loyalty to the Emperor
to growing suspicion of the militarists and the need to hide writings from the censors. Only incidentally is the scarcity of food
and other shortages referred to. Post-war there is an almost amusing comparison of censorship by the Japanese authorities and the occupation forces.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Not much WWII relevance.
ByWilliam Garrison Jr.VINE VOICEon December 27, 2014
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"So Lovely A Country Will Never Perish" by Donald Keene (2010), 216 pages. This book's subtitle is: "Wartime Diaries of Japanese Writers" c. 1940-1945.

The author has written a good number of books regarding the writings of Japanese literati c. 1920-1970. I had hoped that this book would have revealed more insights of famous Japanese authors regarding this thoughts about "The Great Pacific War".

During World War II, Mr. Keene worked for the U.S. military, hopped around islands that had been re-captured from the Japanese, and translated diaries and other military documents captured from Japanese soldiers. After the war, the author met various Japanese writers and read many of their diaries. There seemed to be two camps: those who opposed Japan invading China and the war with the U.S., versus those Japanese writers who were into Japanese supremacy in lording over other Asian countries that they had invaded.

Many of these diaries contained newspaper clippings that recounted Japanese battlefield victories and, later, defeats. However, the diarists could not tell whether or not the newspapers were reporting truthfully about the battles; most had suspicions that the censored newspaper stories were little more than Japanese-government pro-war propaganda. Because of this, the diarists contained much hearsay, rather than insightful news.

The diarists couldn't meet in large gatherings to discuss the news, as the Japanese military controlled public gathers to ensure that no dissention arose. Mr. Keene stated that he quoted from some Japanese writer because that writer was somehow an important, or significant, or a very popular author. However, Mr. Keene provided no data as to how many books that these writers published, nor how many were printed -- my point being here: were these writers really important, or just famous for having written some short novel that sold 2,000 copies over 5 years?

Apparently, few, if any, really had any influence on their government. Hence, these diarists and their diaries are really insignificant to those studying WWII.

I have written to Japanese pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor, or partook in the surrender ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, for their war-time insights. I was hoping that this book might have some relevance to the war. But, I had the impression that after having written many other books, the author had some floor scrapings left over, and used them to develop this book.

The Japanese diarists all seemed to be on the outside of the power fishbowl, looking in, but not having any decision-making influence; sort of the blind leading the blind. These diarists don't seem to be anyone really different from any other Tom, Dick or Hirohito walking down some Tokyo street. Most of these guys sat around trying to write poetry or short stories for an income during the war, and if their city got firebombed they wrote hardly anything more than: "early this afternoon the enemy bombers succeeded in burning down my block, but I managed to save my diaries and went to live with my brother-in-law in the countryside where we ate dandelions for a salad" -- Just not really riveting recollections.

These guys weren't in the power elite -- they didn't have any really meaningful to recall. Not a "war" book -- not a Japanese "Guadalcanal Diary"; these are not the diaries of soldiers. Little more than the thoughts of Japanese poets sitting around contemplating their navels as American planes firebombed their community. It would have been very interesting if the author had tried to really chat with these diarists (he met many of them) to learn why they were so jingoistic or militaristic -- but, not in this book. Maybe in the bottom two of the hundred books I've read regarding the Pacific campaign.

Instead, I'd recommend "Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies" by Samuel Yamashita, and "Descent into Hell" by Ryukyu Shimpo.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding
Byswimmeron June 8, 2010
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As expected, Donald Keene's translations are outstanding and a pleasure to read for the sensitivity and insights that are literature and cultural history.

Highly recommended.
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2.0 out of 5 starsToo much and too little
ByJohn Osbornon July 31, 2010
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I had hoped for more insight from people in Japan during the war, more day to day observations, viewpoints etc. It seemed more like the "diarists" had less input than the author. Some entries were new to me, but overall, a disappointing read.
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4.0 out of 5 starsFascinating read
ByP. Sternon February 10, 2012
Format: Hardcover
This little book is fascinating and, in its way, disturbing. The degree to which Japan's literati not only accepted, but eagerly embraced, the ideals of the country's wartime leaders is shocking. From the perspective of the modern day, it is almost incomprehensible that these educated figures could show such full-throated enthusiasm for war, domination, and (after Japan's defeat) vengeance. To read the diarists is to realize the enormous gap that separates contemporary Japan from the WWII years. Keene tells the story well, though a bit too dispassionately for my taste; I wish he had taken a step back and at least raised some basic questions about the role of intellectuals in a fanatical nationalist regime.
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2.0 out of 5 starsAren't all these "writers" spies exactly like the modern day Japanese foreign students in university dorms all over China?
By...on August 29, 2014
Format: Hardcover
nagami: He began studying the shakuhachi and Chinese poetry in 1896 at the age of 17. In February of the following year, he made his first of many visits to the Yoshiwara red-light district. The same year, he graduated from middle school and failed the entrance exam for university. With his mother and younger brothers, he visited Shanghai, where his father was working for the shipping company Nippon Yusen. He returned to Japan in the autumn and enrolled in the Chinese-language department of the institutions for foreign-language educations affiliated with the Higher Commercial School.

nagami's half brother takami: During and immediately after World War II, he served as Director of the Investigation Bureau of the Japanese Literature Patriotic Association. After the war, he suffered from poor health, but continued to write poetry from his sickbed.

Watanabe is recognized as a thought theorizing of tolerance for the generation of Japanese postwar.

"Keene's book introduces many individuals whose reactions to the war, across its duration, are intriguing to follow, though they take patience to untangle.

There is the loner Kafu, bravely expressing contempt for the militarists who started the war, although seeming at times more concerned with the inconvenient dwindling of his supplies of Lipton tea and English soap.

There is young Yamada Futaro, who never wavers in his hatred of the enemy, all the while sustaining himself through intense bombings by reading Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky and Balzac.

There is the prevailingly cheerful Uchida Hyakken who, when his house is destroyed, expresses relief that he will never have to attend to the tedious business matters accumulating in his study: "It gave me a really marvellous feeling to think that the flames had liberated me from everything in one stroke."

Most interesting is distinguished professor Watanabe Kazuo who, writing his diary in French to hide his pacifist sentiments and struggling with his sense of responsibility as an intellectual, exhorts himself, as a nameless little beast, coarse and cowardly, to "Endure!"
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