Spring Snow

>>8010844
Did you read it in the original Japanese? I'm currently reading it in English, and am not loving it too much. I think the way that Mishima is translated to English makes his prose kind of awkward. If you read it in English, which translator did you use?

As for additional recommendations, I would go for the other Japanese greats. Kokoro by Soseki is my personal favorite.

>>8010858
English version- translated by Michael Gallagher. I loved the writing style personally- every is described in such a beautiful and spiritual fashion.

>>8010858
I've never had this problem before. Japanese is a pretty simple language so it translates well. It's only when it comes to their poetry that their translations are awful.

>>8010844
japanese becomes so bland when translated to english that i am turn off by japanese translated novels

>>8011264
I think it more has to do with the heavily refined way they have of writing where often it's the negative image of things not said, not described that give the novels their power. Their novels seem to be halfway between a western style novel and the poetry/prose stories of someone like Basho. I've heard people complain that tea tastes like flavoured water. Yes, tea is superficially quite bland, but because of it's weakness of flavour (compared to say coffee) there is room for a rich understanding of the different ways it can taste. It's similar to their prose, it is simple and lacks many of the things that make western novels good, but that simplicity (that blandness if you will) allows for the subtle things that they accomplish.

>>8011299
This is actually quite accurate, and definitely why I love jap novels, even though I certainly read them in english only.