Yukio Mishima (real name: Kimitake Hiraoka or, in Japanese order, Hiraoka Kimitake) was one of the major Japanese writers of the twentieth century, and one of the most controversial figures in modern Japanese history. His career spanned—and helped to define—Japan’s postwar period (1945-1970), although it must be said that his relation with “postwar culture” was as much oppositional as contributory. Taking a stand against both the Marxist values of the mainstream intelligentsia and the capitalist-materialist values of the mainstream political establishment, he devoted himself to the “impossible dream” of a full-scale revival of prewar Japanese militarism and emperor-worship, both of which, he argued, were essential ingredients of Japan’s culture, and the necessary condition…
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Citation: Starrs, Roy Anthony. "Yukio Mishima". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12197, accessed 24 November 2024.]
