1st Edition

An Artless Art - The Zen Aesthetic of Shiga Naoya A Critical Study with Selected Translations

By Roy Starrs Copyright 1998

    Shiga Naoya was a giant of Japanese literature but he is barely known outside Japan. This book is the first study of Shiga to explore in depth his affinities - both aesthetic and philosophic - with the long tradition of Zen art.

    Part 1 AN ARTLESS ART; Introduction; Chapter 1 The logic of everyday life; Chapter 2 The natural way of death; Chapter 3 A fire in the heart; Chapter 4 An artless art, a selfless self; Part 2 SELECTED TRANSLATIONS; Chapter 5 At Kinosaki; Chapter 6 Bonfire; Chapter 7 Manazuru; Chapter 8 Kakita Akanishi; Chapter 9 The diary of claudius; Chapter 10 Reconciliation;

    Biography

    Roy Starrs

    'This book provides an excellent entrance into the life and works of modern Japanese writer Shiga Naoya. The translations are fascinating An invaluable contribution to studies of the profound intersection of religion and literature in Japanese culture.' - Steven Heine, Journal of Asian and African Studies