This book is a gripping biography of Yukio Mishima, a writer who stunned the world with his death and shocked Japan with his controversial ideas. Mishima lived a life full of turmoil and tragedy, which is detailed through interviews with family, colleagues and friends. Nathan's in-depth research reveals how Mishima was haunted by the idea of death and how it shaped his writings. This book is a must-read for those interested in the life of a literary icon who was unafraid to push boundaries and challenge society's norms.

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At forty-five, Yukio Mishima was the outstanding Japanese writer of his generation, celebrated both at home and abroad for The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea . In 1970 he startled the world by stepping out onto a balcony in Tokyo before an assembly of troops and plunging a sword into his abdomen; a disciple then beheaded him, completing the ritual of hara-kiri. John Nathan's riveting biography traces the life of this tortured, nearly superhuman personality. Mishima survived a grotesque childhood, and subsequently his sadomasochistic impulses became manifest -- as did an increasing obsession with death as the supreme beauty. Nathan, who knew Mishima professionally and personally, interviewed family, colleagues, and friends to unmask the various -- often seemingly contradictory -- personae of the genius who felt called by "a glittering destiny no ordinary man would be permitted."

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