Novel - Snow Country (Kawabata Yasunari, the only global illustrated)

Author: (Japanese) Yasunari Kawabata
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: From Snow Country to The Thousand Cranes and Koto, the publication of these works demonstrated that Kawabata had already contemplated the issues of tradition and modernity, as well as local and foreign influences at a higher theoretical level. He summarized the experience and lessons of absorbing and assimilating Chinese Tang Dynasty culture a thousand years ago to create the beauty of the Heian Court, as well as the historical experience of absorbing Western culture over a hundred years of the Meiji Era but failing to fully digest it. Combining his own creative practice, he proposed that one should "adopt a Japanese approach to absorption from the very beginning, learning according to Japanese tastes and then fully Japaneseizing it." In practice, he dissolved Western literary influences into the spirit and form of Japanese classical tradition, more consciously establishing his position as a "common bridge and thinker for integrating Eastern and Western cultures."
Kotaro, though he studied some European dances, was essentially a idle, wealthy young man who lived off his inheritance. He came to the snow-covered hot spring resort of Urasa from Tokyo, where he met Komako, a woman who sold her body for a living. Komako was young and beautiful, not only skilled at playing the shamisen but also diligent in keeping a diary. Though their relationship was transactional, Komako showed a relatively sincere affection for Kotaro, while Kotaro believed their bond was merely a fleeting affair and that life was ultimately futile.
On his second visit to Snow Country, Kotaro saw a young, beautiful woman caring for a sick young man on the train. Her name was Midori, and his was Yukio. Midori's bright eyes sparkled with radiance, making her appear exceptionally captivating. Kotaro gazed at her, unable to help but become lost in thought. Before leaving Snow Country, a fire broke out in the theater, and he discovered that Midori had fallen from the second floor and died, eliciting only a flicker of sympathy from him.
In summary, Snow Country has relatively little plot, focusing instead on the emotional exchanges and sexual life between Kotaro and Komako amidst the unique landscapes of Snow Country.