Thousand Cranes: A Novel.

Tokyo, Japan Charles E. Tuttle , 1967. Paperback First Edition Thus [1967], Fourth Printing [1969]. Very Good in Wraps: shows indications of careful use: shows the mildest rubbing to the panels; a touch of wear to the upper front corner tip; the outer edge of the front panel curls very slightly; the expected tanning to the text pages, due to aging; several small, faint spots at the fore-edge; the binding remains square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creases to the backstrip. Free of underlining, hi-lighting, notations, or marginalia. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A carefully used copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing mild wear and several minor, unobtrusive imperfections. Bright and clean. Not far from 'As New'. A handsome reading copy. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 12mo.(7.25 x 4.3 x 0.45 inches). 147 pages. Translated by Edward Seidensticker. Language: English. Weight: 4.6 ounces. First Edition Thus [1967], Fourth Printing [1969]. Mass Market Paperback. Yasunari Kawabata (1899 – 1972) was a Japanese novelist and short story writer 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. Among his most important post-war works is Sembazuru (Thousand Cranes), written from 1949 to 1951. Sembazuru is centered on the tea ceremony and hopeless love. The protagonist is attracted to the mistress of his dead father and, after her death, to her daughter, who flees from him. The tea ceremony provides a beautiful background for ugly human affairs, but Kawabata's intent is rather to explore feelings about death. The tea ceremony utensils are permanent and forever, whereas people are frail and fleeting. These themes of implicit incest, impossible love and impending death will be explored throughout the rest of his writings.