Yukio Mishima, a renowned Japanese author, was born in Tokyo in 1925. He began his literary career at a young age, publishing his first short story as a first-year student at the University of Tokyo. Throughout his life, Mishima wrote extensively in various genres, including plays, poetry, essays, and novels, earning both popular and critical acclaim.
His debut novel, "Confessions of a Mask," is considered a classic of modern Japanese literature. The autobiographical work explores themes of homosexuality, inner turmoil, and the struggles of nonconformity in a society that emphasized conformity. This novel showcases Mishima's ability to delve into the complexities of the human experience.
Mishima's education in Japan and his exposure to European and Russian literature deeply influenced his work. He developed an intense fascination with the concept of unvanquished, imperial Japan, its samurai traditions, and the heroic ideals of beauty, nationalism, and honor. This fascination was so all-consuming that it led him to found an elite right-wing organization, the Shield Society, dedicated to the Samurai code of honor.
In addition to his literary pursuits, Mishima was an expert in traditional martial arts. He lamented the post-war suppression of Japan's traditional past and felt a deep sense of despair regarding the state of modern Japan. Control, whether it be of the self, art, or society, was of paramount importance to Mishima.
In his writing, Mishima often explored the theme of loss of control, as seen in his statement about travel: "At no time are we ever in such complete possession of a journey, down to its last nook and cranny, as when we are busy with preparations for it. After that, there remains only the journey itself, which is nothing but the process by which we lose our ownership of it. This is what makes travel so utterly fruitless." Twenty-six years later, Mishima, still intense and disturbed, and fully in control of his life, shockingly took his own life in a public event that garnered international attention. He was 45 years old at the time of his death.
