Mishima

Written by John Nathan, "Mishima" (often published as "Mishima: A Biography") is a comprehensive portrait of Yukio Mishima, one of Japan’s most important and controversial postwar authors.

Drawing on personal acquaintance with Mishima and extensive research, Nathan examines Mishima’s childhood, his meteoric literary rise, his complex aesthetics of beauty and death, his nationalism, and the circumstances leading to his 1970 ritual suicide.

The book interweaves close readings of Mishima’s major works with an account of his public persona and private conflicts, offering a nuanced view of the writer behind the legend.