The account given by kawabata of the contestants, the contest, and the context is sensitive and beautifully rendered. The master of go by yasunari kawabata, paperback barnes. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read. And in his fictional chronicle of a match played between a revered and heretofore invincible master and a younger, more modern challenger, yasunari kawabata captured the. Luminous in its detail, both suspenseful and serene, the master of go is an elegy for an entire society, written with the poetic economy and psychological acumen that brought kawabata the. Based on kawabata s own reporting at the time, the master of go is a loosely fictionalised account of a 1938 go game between an incumbent master and a younger challenger. The game takes place in 1938 between the highest ranking player in japan, honnimbo shusai, the master of go, and a younger challenger, otake. It is a semifictional recounting of a major go match in 1938, on which kawabata had actually reported for the mainichi newspaper chain. The master of go by yasunari kawabata speaks to the tension between the old guard and the new. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor stickers. The master of go is a story which symbolically parallels the loss of traditional japanese society after 1945. The master of go by yasunari kawabata librarything. The difficulty is as much due to the subject matter as it is stylistic. The master of go by yasunari kawabata, based on a true story, tells the story of the highest ranking go player in all of 1938 japan, a man named honnimbo shusai, as he faces off against a younger challenger named otake over a tenuous series of months.
Titled meijin in its original japanese, kawabata considered it his finest work, although it is in contrast with his other works. The master of go chapter 1 yasunari kawabata the master of go introduction. Where snow country is a romance, the master of go is all about the stuffy, masculine world of a board game. The master of go by yasunari kawabata fantastic fiction. Kawabatas the master of go belongs to the latter category. They knew of my longstanding interest in go and gave me this novel for my birthday. The master of go by kawabata, yasunari nobel prize1968 m.
An exploration of the game at the heart of the master of go the. The works of the nobel prize winning author, yasunari kawabata, are noted for their. Dialectics and change in kawabatas the master of go jstor. The master of go ebook written by yasunari kawabata. Kawabata, a nobel prizewinner for literature, published this novel in 1951. Aug 03, 2006 the shortshort stories of yasunari kawabata and the implicit autobiographical nature of his early work, and all the newspapercolumnlength chapters of what would invariably, serialized and subsequently amended become his novels, are all the perfect precursors for the master of go, a zen master s journalistic espnstyle appreciation and up. Ive previously read a couple of yasunari kawabatas short stories in anthologies but ive always felt his writing to be at least one. The master of go by yasunari kawabata a little tea, a. It describes the last game, in 1938, of a go master actually shusai meijin and the younger challenger actually kitani minoru. Go is a game of strategy in which two players attempt to surround each others black or white stones. The master of go by yasunari kawabata and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. The master of go sacramento public library overdrive. Nov 09, 2008 it is a semifictional chronicle of the lengthy 1938 retirement game of go by the respected master honinbo shusai, against the upandcoming player minoru kitani although the latters name is.
Kawabata began writing the chronicle in 1938, but did not finish it until almost 10. The american reader, however, following the chronicle of a sixmonth go match, based on kawabatas reportage of a 1938 contest, might translate this in western terms into. I wondered whether the point might be that foreigners were not meant for go an outwardly simple but essentially very intricate game resembling chess, commented the late kawabata, here in the guise of the reporter uragami. The master of go by yasunari kawabata overdrive rakuten. Although the novel is moving on the surface as a retelling of a climactic. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the master of go. Simple in its fundamentals, infinitely complex in its execution, it is an essential expression of the japanese sensibility.
Kawabata has a reputation for being difficult, and of all his books ive read to date, the master of go is probably the least accessible. Dialectics and change in kawabatas the master of go. Aug 27, 2015 the master of go ebook written by yasunari kawabata. It was first published as meijin in the shincho magazine in 1951. Although some readers have lumped his novella the lake into the minor works category, i strongly disagreed. It conveys a feel for the ruptures of broader cultural change as well as the intensity of the individual conflict. The master of go chapter 2 yasunari kawabata the master of go introduction. And in his fictional chronicle of a match played between a revered and invincible master and a younger, more progressive challenger, yasunari kawabata captured the moment. The novel was first published in serial form in 1951.
The master of go is a shosetsu of a famous retirement game of go between the aged master honinbo shusai and the young challenger minoru kitani. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor. Jan 12, 2015 the master of go by yasunari kawabata this novel about the last game of a dying go master was a gift to me by friends. Luminous in its detail, both suspenseful and serene, the master of go is an elegy for an entire society, written with the poetic economy and psychological acumen that brought kawabata the nobel prize for literature. Titled meijin in its original japanese, kawabata considered it his finest. Yasunari kawabata, kawabata yasunari, 11 june 1899 16 april 1972 was a japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtlyshaded prose works won him the nobel prize for literature in 1968, the first japanese author to receive the award. Based on kawabatas own reporting at the time, the master of go is a loosely fictionalised account of a 1938 go game between an incumbent master and a younger challenger. Simple in its fundamentals, infinitely complex in its. Simple in its fundamentals, infinitely complex in its execution, go is an essential expression of the japanese spirit. The master of go by yasunari kawabata a copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. Kawabata authored numerous novels, including snow country 1956, which cemented his reputation as one of the preeminent voices of his time, as well as thousand cranes 1959, the sound of the mountain 1970, the master of go 1972, and beauty and sadness 1975. Emece, author yasunari kawabata was born in osaka, japan on june 14, he experienced. Theres something about go that lends itself to narrative, and perhaps no book gets inside this better than yasunari kawabatas chronicle of a.
The master of go by yasunari kawabata chronicles a championship game of go, an ancient and traditional japanese board game. Yasunari kawabatas novel thinly fictionalizes a famous 1938 go match which lasted several months and proved to be a final decisive loss for its grand master player. Based on kawabatas own reporting at the time, the master of go is a loosely fictionalised account of a 1938 go game between an incumbent master and a. Dec 18, 2006 kawabata has a reputation for being difficult, and of all his books ive read to date, the master of go is probably the least accessible. The master of go is a novel by the japanese author yasunari kawabata, who was awarded the nobel prize in literature in 1968. Although the master of go contains elements of fiction, it is based upon kawabatas observation of a go match that took place in 1938, between the then go master shusai and his challenger, kitani. I was very surprised to learn that the master of go was kawabatas next novel after snow country, because the two novels differ in the extreme. The author, yasunari kawabata, who penned this novel years after he wrote serialized. Go and art kawabatas master of go it is a semifictional chronicle of the lengthy 1938 retirement game of go by the respected master honinbo shusai, against the. The master of go by yasunari kawabata this novel about the last game of a dying go master was a gift to me by friends. Buy a cheap copy of the master of go book by yasunari kawabata.