Five Modern Nō Plays

Japanese Nō drama is one of the great art forms that has fascinated people throughout the world. The late Yukio Mishima, one of Japan's outstanding post-war writers, infused new life into the form by using it for plays that preserve the style and inner spirit of Nō and are at the same time so modern, so direct, and intelligible that they could, as he suggested, be played on a bench in Central Park. Here are five of his Nō plays, stunning in their contemporary nature and relevance—and finally made available again for readers to enjoy.

About the Author

Yukio Mishima is the pen name of Kimitake Hiraoka (1925–1970), a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, and film director. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. His works include the novels Confessions of a Mask and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. His avant-garde work displayed a blending of modern and traditional aesthetics that broke cultural boundaries.

About the Translator

Donald Keene (1922–2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over five decades. He published around 25 books in English on Japanese topics, including studies of Japanese literature and culture and translations of Japanese literature, and also published about 30 books in Japanese.

Dimensions: 11.43 x 1.91 x 19.05 cm