Kishida Kunio revolutionized modern Japanese drama by integrating western psychological elements from Ibsen and Chekhov, marking a significant departure from the flamboyant kabuki tradition. His work not only established a new framework for Japanese playwrights but also matured the art form, allowing for deeper character exploration and complex themes. This transformation highlights the challenges faced by dramatists in evolving their craft while maintaining cultural identity.
Focusing on the evolution of Japanese fiction, Thomas Rimer's book provides a thorough exploration of both pre-modern and modern narratives. It delves into the background and structural principles that shape these works, presenting the information in a clear and systematic manner. This approach makes the complex history of Japanese literature accessible to a broad audience, offering insights into its development over time.
The Beauty of Silence showcases Tsukioka K gyo, a notable yet lesser-known artist of Japanese woodblock prints from the Meiji period. This monograph presents his life, works, and contributions to N theater through richly illustrated prints. It includes his biography, historical context, and detailed analyses, appealing to art and theater enthusiasts alike.
This annotated translation is the first systematic rendering into any Western language of the nine major treatises on the art of the Japanese No theater by Zeami Motokivo (1363-1443). Zeami, who transformed the No from a country entertainment into a vehicle for profound theatrical and philosophical experience, was a brilliant actor himself, and his treatises touch on every aspect of the theater of his time. His theories, mixing philosophical and practical insights, often seem strikingly contemporary. Since their discovery early in this century. these secret treatises have been considered among the most valuable and representative documents in the history of Japanese aesthetics. They discuss subjects from the art of the playwright to the reciprocal nature of the relationship between performer and audience.