Star [Paperback]

Mishima is famous both for writing and for dying. Or, strictly, for attempting hara-kiri. Perhaps surprising, then, is that Star is about shooting a blockbuster: not an Ozu or a Mizoguchi but a cheap Yakuza flick. Mishima himself starred in This 1961 novel is finally getting the translation it has so long deserved. The psychologically complex story of Rikio Mizuno, young star of a series of gangster films, is based in part on Mishimas own experiences as an actor. This is a landmark novel of 20th century Japan, and you no longer have to learn Japanese to read it. Mishima nicely captures the alter-world of stardoma sharp little novella. This little novella gives a bang-filled rush, reflecting on the empty deceit of fame and the psychology of celebrity. Once you're on top of the world, can you ever escape it? An exquisite contemplation of existence and death, and Mishimas prose is extremely powerful and the translation finely executed. A startlingly modern, hypervisual jewel. Mishima's glitzy melange of playboy paranoia and heartthrob ennui cracks the proverbial 15 minutes wide open, spilling all the juicy details regarding fawning sycophants, monotonous re-shoots, and the anesthetizing effect of prolonged exposure to the limelight. Death-haunted and contemptuous, Mishimas ethereal 1961 novel, published for the first time in English, showcases the strains of fame on a young movie star. Mishima is a master of the psychological: this nimble novella about the costs and delusions of constant public attention will resonate with readers. Enormously relevant Written shortly after Mishima himself starred in the yakuza-centered Mishima is like Stendhal in his precise psychological analyses, like Dostoevsky in his explorations of darkly destructive personalities. A short but intense psychological ride. Sam Bett has given the book a colloquial translation that powerfully evokes a mood of Hollywoods Golden Age. Mishima was one of literatures great romantics. ThilÃ\