Description
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn was born in Greece in 1850 and traveled around the world, first to the United States, then settled in Japan, before beginning his mission to create elegant, well-written chronicles about the sensibilities of Japan’s population. The author penned Kotto: Being Japanese Curious with Sundry Cobwebs in the later years of his life, as he attempted to find a deeper spiritual meaning in the seemingly trivial idiosyncrasies of Japan. Kotto is a work of literary art that focuses on offering an enjoyable, albeit sometimes challenging view of Japanese lifestyle in the late 19th century. The pre-militarist period is very different from the grim picture Japan adopted during WWII, and Hearn was fascinated by both the traditional lifestyle and the various, unique quirks that Japan’s citizens enjoyed and that were very different from what westerners were accustomed to in that time period. Hearn uses his own exploits and discoveries to exemplify the lifestyle and culture of the Japanese people. He offers a unique, historically accurate and quite beautiful depiction of life in Japan that most historians have found to be remarkable in its detail. From the diary of a young woman translated and presented in great detail by Hearn, to his own accounts of unique events that he took part in during his stay in Japan, Kotto becomes an almost artistic presentation of the island country, as seen through the eyes of a man who spent much of his life adapting to cultures and societies other than the original world he grew up in. Hearn published Kotto in 1902, only two years prior to his death. His reflections on the meaning of life, death and spirituality are outstandingly clear and concise, offering a somewhat alternative philosophical view based on experience, that will likely fascinate anyone who may be interested in historical depictions and deep, spiritual insight.
[amz_corss_sell asin=”177542748X”]
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.