Snow Country by Kawabata - personal take and some…
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Snow Country by Kawabata - personal take and some reflections
I have just finished *Snow Country* by Kawabata. It is neither the first Kawabata I have read nor the first Japanese author, so I was broadly prepared for what this novel would be. My surprise when I reached the end came from the fact that I was reading it on an e-reader, and the file also contained another Kawabata novel immediately afterward. I realized I had finished Snow Country before I expected to. That said, the final sentence makes for a beautiful closing line, I had that feeling when reading it.
Afterward, I briefly looked into what other readers thought of the book, and it is true that, in terms of plot, very little happens. In fact, I see only two real subjects: first, the rather unusual relationship between Shimamura and Komako; and second, the landscape and the winter season of this part of Japan. Both wrapped with the well rendered Japanese feel: nostalgia, nature, restraint and social expectations.
As for the relationship between the two characters, it is clear that they are very close, but we learn nothing definite about the degree of their intimacy. At first I did not care much about that, since I am not the voyeur kind of reader, but after a while it became so obvious that Kawabata was deliberately avoiding any description of what happens between them at night that I could not help asking myself: am I reading the story correctly? I am oblivious to the last tier degree, so I often need help figuring things out.
I checked, and indeed no one seems to have any decisive evidence on the matter. The author deliberately leaves the reader in the black. The general consensus is that they are intimate, but to what extent is difficult to say: whether she just keeps him warm at night, whether they have the full course, or whether she simply relieves his tensions in one way or another. In any case, that is not really the book’s main concern, but the contrast between the minute details of their interactions and this embargo of information is striking.
What matters above all is the depiction of a profoundly asymmetrical relationship: he feels very little and is presented as hollow or empty, while she is emotional and constantly caught in contradiction, telling him, “go away—no, stay,” and things of that kind. We could say a lot about this relationship, but that would spoil the book's content as there is not much else to spoil, so I'll keep it short.
For me, Shimamura is almost an observer, spectating with the reader his own relationship with Komako in a detached way.
This is a rather saddening relationship with no bad guy and no good solution either for everyone to be happy. I like the exploration of such grey zone. I guess Shimamura could do better, but it's not like he's evil or scheming anything.
The other strong point of the novel is the mood and this immersion in that cold Japan, with a deep connection to the countryside, nature and traditions. The 'snow linen' fabric history was very interesting, I'll have to look into that *Chijimi* again.
I took several notes of the strong imagery and other constructs. Although I read an English translation of the work, I hope I got a good glimpse of the author's ideas and talent in that matter.
Overall it was a worthy read, with it's own little challenge as it's not like a page turner, but this wasn't a hard-to-read book either (well... I might have a unusual scale regarding such evaluation, because of *Dhalgren ;*)
#entertainment
source
I have just finished *Snow Country* by Kawabata. It is neither the first Kawabata I have read nor the first Japanese author, so I was broadly prepared for what this novel would be. My surprise when I reached the end came from the fact that I was reading it on an e-reader, and the file also contained another Kawabata novel immediately afterward. I realized I had finished Snow Country before I expected to. That said, the final sentence makes for a beautiful closing line, I had that feeling when reading it.
Afterward, I briefly looked into what other readers thought of the book, and it is true that, in terms of plot, very little happens. In fact, I see only two real subjects: first, the rather unusual relationship between Shimamura and Komako; and second, the landscape and the winter season of this part of Japan. Both wrapped with the well rendered Japanese feel: nostalgia, nature, restraint and social expectations.
As for the relationship between the two characters, it is clear that they are very close, but we learn nothing definite about the degree of their intimacy. At first I did not care much about that, since I am not the voyeur kind of reader, but after a while it became so obvious that Kawabata was deliberately avoiding any description of what happens between them at night that I could not help asking myself: am I reading the story correctly? I am oblivious to the last tier degree, so I often need help figuring things out.
I checked, and indeed no one seems to have any decisive evidence on the matter. The author deliberately leaves the reader in the black. The general consensus is that they are intimate, but to what extent is difficult to say: whether she just keeps him warm at night, whether they have the full course, or whether she simply relieves his tensions in one way or another. In any case, that is not really the book’s main concern, but the contrast between the minute details of their interactions and this embargo of information is striking.
What matters above all is the depiction of a profoundly asymmetrical relationship: he feels very little and is presented as hollow or empty, while she is emotional and constantly caught in contradiction, telling him, “go away—no, stay,” and things of that kind. We could say a lot about this relationship, but that would spoil the book's content as there is not much else to spoil, so I'll keep it short.
For me, Shimamura is almost an observer, spectating with the reader his own relationship with Komako in a detached way.
This is a rather saddening relationship with no bad guy and no good solution either for everyone to be happy. I like the exploration of such grey zone. I guess Shimamura could do better, but it's not like he's evil or scheming anything.
The other strong point of the novel is the mood and this immersion in that cold Japan, with a deep connection to the countryside, nature and traditions. The 'snow linen' fabric history was very interesting, I'll have to look into that *Chijimi* again.
I took several notes of the strong imagery and other constructs. Although I read an English translation of the work, I hope I got a good glimpse of the author's ideas and talent in that matter.
Overall it was a worthy read, with it's own little challenge as it's not like a page turner, but this wasn't a hard-to-read book either (well... I might have a unusual scale regarding such evaluation, because of *Dhalgren ;*)
#entertainment
source
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