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Wednesday November 29, 10:43 AMMore letters found from late novelist Mishima's youth(Kyodo) _ Twelve more private letters of the late novelist Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) written in his teens to his literary friend have been found, including his unpublished poem, publishing industry sources said Wednesday.Addressed to the late Fumihiko Azuma, a senior member of a literary coterie at the then elite middle school of Gakushuin in Tokyo, the letters are another evidence to show that Mishima's originality comes from his boyhood, said literary critic Miyoko Tanaka. Around 80 letters of Mishima written in his teens have so far been published, but the newly found pieces were entrusted to Mishima watcher Kiyoshi Inuzuka, who confirmed them to be authentic, from his acquaintance, the sources said. Written when Mishima was aged between 15 and 18, the letters will be published in the January edition of the monthly literary magazine Shincho, slated to hit bookstores on Dec. 7, the sources said. During his school days, Mishima became close to Azuma, who was five years older than him, and exchanged letters and postcards with him for about three years until Azuma died of illness, Tanaka said. In a latter in 1943, Mishima wrote a poem in an ancient style on the backdrop of growing prospects for Japan to be defeated in World War II. The letters show that Mishima was feeling both confidence and anxieties about his literary talent. In a confident letter, he took pride in his plan to introduce poet Shizuo Ito (1906-1953), whose lyrical poems influenced Mishima and other young people during the war, in a high school magazine, writing, "The teachers, more than half of whom don't even know who Shizuo Ito is, must be surprised." In a letter writing his poem and translation of a work by Prague-born poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Mishima frankly wrote, "I'm not very confident about them," and asked Azuma to "pass harsh criticisms." He also poured out anger at comments by a poet he knows that Mishima was neither precocious nor gifted, writing, "I wouldn't dare associating with poetic circles under such circumstances." Mishima, whose real name was Kimitake Hiraoka, was born in Tokyo in 1925 and wrote fiction, drama and essays. His famous works include "Confessions of a Mask," "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" and "The Sea of Fertility." On Nov. 25, 1970, he committed "harakiri" suicide by disembowelment at the headquarters of a Ground Self-Defense Force unit in Tokyo, after a failed coup attempt. |
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