House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, but potentially dated
Review: "House of Sleeping Beauties," and the other short stories in this collection, all deal with the themes of idolization of virginity, degredation, fetishization of the body, and so forth. While this may be food for thought for early and even late 20th century readers, the 21st century reader might not get as much out of it. As with many modern Japanese works, Yasunari Kawabata transcends any cultural barriers by focusing on things that are alien in any settings, and themes that are universal to anyone who has ever struggled with any sort of "hang up" about [anatomy].

Rating:
Summary: A thinker person's collection of short stories
Review: Every time I enter the realm of magical realism I feel as though there's no going back. The intense and sometimes disturbing descriptions in the stories make you think and reflect on the surrealism and powerful message behind the writing. Having read House of the Sleeping Beauties, I realize that no other category of literature is as profound as this one. I love all of the stories in this book, especially "One Arm." This incredible and strange story awed me. There is a recurring theme in the stories: men's perverse obsession with women, particularly young girls. The message is very ambiguous, which means that you have to read between the lines in order to grasp the meaning. Yasunari Kawabata's work is very similar to Banana Yoshimoto's. These Japanese authors write stories filled with interesting language and mystical messages. I strongly suggest that you read this!

Rating:
Summary: One of Kawabata's Many, Many Best
Review: This is one of the most elegantly written stories in and outside of Japanese Literature. Kawabta's writing style is so subtle and enticing, it doesn't matter if you are completely turned off by his subject matter, you'll still want to read to the very end. Fortunately for this book, as well as the majority of his other works, that is far from the case. This tale of an old man, who avoids comming to terms with his aging by spends nights at a brothel with young girls put on heavy sleeping medicine, examines the dark truth of loneliness and self-loathing. It is a metaphor for what every person fears in the inevitability of aging, and with Kawabata's unique form, it is a 5 star novella.