Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales Of Fantasy (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
I wish that I could hand a teenaged Mariel a copy of Osamu Dazai's Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales of Fantasy. I would now say, "You were here for me." I'm unsure where the nostalgic feelings are coming from, not knowing what is Dazai and what is his own growing (up or down?). Maybe the believing suspension would be as an atmosphere like a starry sky over the fairy tales, to have grown up with the original Japanese fairy tales, instead of Dazai's exercises alone in standing. My two favorite stories, On Love and Beauty and Lanterns of Romance have the under the same moon many miles away quality for the foriegn fairy tale feeling of things that have been there for me in my life: J.D. Salinger's Glass family and Rapunzel. I am not twisted smiling over why I felt the strange outside quality of make believe outside the every day life. I've been doing this my whole life. This I know. Making up stories about other stories. This smile feels like an expression I could have made other days in my life. "I missed you!" If only every story was like that. Maybe I'm all wrong about the time thing. I missed the family of five siblings and a mother when they appeared again at the last. The grandparents were omitted until then. I agree with Dazai that that was a mistake. He knew a family like them. I don't know which is him, and which is them. I guess I don't need to know which of the Japanese fairy tales was Dazai... but I'd like to have the under the same sky feeling, you know? That there are more eyes looking up. In 'Lanterns' the siblings have a story writing contest. The youngest son chooses to do a retelling of Rapunzel. "But unhappiness lay ahead. There's just too great a social gap between a prince and the daughter of a witch. Misfortune was about to befall them. I'll leave the rest up to my eldest sister. Please take good care of Rapunzel." I loved that last line. Each sibling writes the rest of their tale concious of each other, unconcious of their own inner passions, yet more concious of their ideals. Eyes. Lots of them. Better than the story of Rapunzel was their eyes. I am beginning to think that fairy tale retellings need lots more eyes. Would the prince not love Rapunzel any more if she weren't beautiful? Was she too wild for acceptance? It was too big for a moral, just how I like it. That the family were rich and bored living in an eccentric lifestyle outside of the spheres reminded me of my favorite (of the three I've read so far) Dazai, The Setting Sun, as well as the Glass family of exceptional geniuses. I loved 'Setting' soooooo much because it touched the fantasy I've yearned for as long as I can remember wanting anything. A fantasy for that very life lived outside the gaze of the every day. It wasn't their freedom of being able to do whatever they wanted, having money to spare and all that. They weren't free unless they were spinning... So true. The Chrysanthemum Spirit is untraditional to me folktale about the romance of poverty. Since I reminded me of The Setting Sun (ha! I've been pining for when I read it), it isn't surprising that Dazai chose this story. Like Eeyore kinda enjoying sulking off by himself and not getting invited to the parties. Or Jean Genet loving prison. There's beauty to wallowing in what looks to be the bottom. Didn't anyone ever tell Sainosuke that there is always another bottom to the bottom? I may have liked this a whole lot when I was younger and attached to feeling miserable. It could be the translation that the tongue in cheek's accent is unnatural to listen to. I just only liked it. I'm trying to come up with reasons to explain why I don't feel warm in the now... I GET messages about wallowing. Finding the right moment when you don't need it any more is key. I guess these reached me too late because I don't need that. Reality and fantasy should be the same sides, light or dark as needed, of the coin. Blue Bamboo is a moral of the story tale. If any gods knock on my door... If I was going to do more than nod "Oh, that was good" it'd have to reach me where I sleep. Okay, no more of that. I was really wanting to read another book like The Setting Sun that kept alive within me the fantasy I've always wanted to have as often as possible. It can't only be time. It's the sky thing, right? Dazai's Crackling Mountain should reach me soon. I'm going to read it. Please take care of me, of Rapunzel and of Dazai. P.s. I love the cover art of the birds. P.s.s. I forgot to say that the talking to onesself as understanding the world reminded me of No Longer Human. The family felt "protected" (I guess that's it?) through the dreaminess, while the reciting of facts and art caused + timed the protagonist of No Longer Human to feel further alone. Both feel right for my weird feeling of alone in fantasy. I crave both. P.s.s.s. If only I were more analytical than emotional for times like this. Okay, the teen feeling means unfinished. I don't feel finished, but it does feel like there could be MORE. The fairy tale/teen thing feels an incomplete finished work. And I swear this has nothing to do with the deciding if I wanna live or die suicidal feeling. Dazai did kill himself. I am always trying to decide all of the time if I want to live or die, forget it as action (the deciding isn't action. It's foriegn fantasy mood). Fantasy is the leaning in to those feelings. P.s.s.s.s. Cherry Leaves and the Whistler was good. I forgot to mention that one. I liked the story about the dying younger sister writing love letters to herself. Her sister writes her love letters (not knowing they were not from a real man) to make her feel better. When she's an old woman, and both sister and father are dead, she wonders if their father didn't take part in the myth of the lover to make them both feel better. I would have liked that better if she didn't decide it was god. The old woman wishing she'd taken lovers in youth reminded me of the seventy something year old character in John Gardner's October Light. The narcissistic desire rather than wistfulness wasn't suited for a fantasy, in my tastes.
On Love and Beauty: Adorably pretentious family and their silly story-telling game. All wrapped up in gentle irony. Cherry Leaves and the Whistler: I like that this cute, sad little tale hinges on someone whistling this mad wartime classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A75AQg.... The Chrysanthemum Spirit: Stubborn little chap is determined to grow Chrysanthemums."When autumn came, Saburo's seedling, which Sainosuke had replanted in his garden, produced a single blossom. The flower was faintly rouge, like a drinker's blush, and gave off a light scent of sake."The Mermaid and the Samurai: This little story should be a film. Gripping, magical, adorable."These words of encouragement, stouthearted though they were, only left Konnai feeling all the more keenly his sorrow and woe, and for some moment, wracked with mournful sobs, he could make no reply at all. Such it is for those in the grips of misfortune: declarations of support and sympathy, rather than providing comfort, may merely increase the victim's pain. Overwhelmed with despair, Konnai bowed his head and cried manly tears, even as he resigned himself to the fact that his life was all but over. At length, wiping the tears away with his fists, he looked up and spoke in a voice still punctuated with sobs:'Thank you. The abuse whch Hyakuemon has heaped upon me today is scarcely such as I can find it in me to ignore. ... Being in the presence of His Lordship, however, I had no choice but to endure the unendurable and choke back the tears of vexation.'""'To think that all for some meaningless debate over mermaids, a worthy man must die!'""Certain now that her father was in some sort of trouble, Yae, samurai child that she was, slept that night in her kimono, with the sash firmly tied, curled up in a ball and hugging a dagger to her breast."Blue Bamboo: Poor chap with awful life meets a new crow girlfriend. Romanesque: This was my absolute favourite. It's in three parts, with a sting in the tail.Taro the Wizard:"Autumn brought even better things: apples as big as grapefruit and as red as coral hung from the trees in dense clusters. So juicy were these apples that if you plucked one and bit into it, the skin would burst with a loud crack and sweet, cold spray would gush out to soak your nose and cheeks.""Before long he learned how to turn himself into a praying mantis as well, but this proved disappointing. There was nothing particularly fun about being a praying mantis.""Taro approached the mirror with his heart in his mouth ... and received the shock of his life. His skin was so white as to be almost colorless; his cheeks were full and round and soft and smooth; his eyes were the narrowest conceivable slits; and a long, stringy mustache drooped down below his chin. It was a face that would have looked right at home on any eighth-century Buddhist statue. Even the splendid article between his legs resembled those of the men of old, hanging down long and fat and heavy."Jirobei the Fighter:"When you find yourself looking ridiculous, reasoning isn't worth a turd. If a man offends you, strike him down.""The training was complete. Jirobei looked more solid and imposing than ever and was so musclebound that it took him a full minute just to turn his head to the left or right."Saburo the Liar:"Saburo felt as if he could smell the unbearable stench of deception's final, sputtering fart.""The lies become blacker and more complex, they mesh and rub together until in the end they shine with the luster of truth."Lanterns of Romance: The same charming family from the first story, playing one of their story-telling games again.
What do You think about Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales Of Fantasy (2001)?
When ever I put pen on paper I usually think of Osamu Dazai. He is the one writer that i look up to for various reasons. The major thing I like about his work is how he puts himself in his narratives, or by design we think of Dazai as a character in his stories. I enjoy the confusion between fact and fiction. I bought this edition in Tokyo, because it can't be purchased in the U.S. And most importantly the translator, Ralph McCarthy, updated his translation. Here Dazai mixes his 'true' fiction with fairy tales, and comes up with work that is always charming, funny and genius like.
—Tosh
"Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales of Fantasy" by Osamu Dazai is a wonderful read for the Halloween season. If for no other reason, the stories concern all sorts of "ghoulies, ghosties, and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night" that the old Scottish prayer reminds us that from whom we need protection. Within its pages are mermaids, wizards, chrysanthemum spirits, mysterious whistlers, and magical crows who are agents for gods that test the true intentions of mortals as well as those modern monsters-familial dynamics and social distance. Beyond that, Osamu was a masterful short story teller, and his stories often reveal idiosyncrasies of Japanese culture during the first half of Showa era. Nevertheless, his characters have universal qualities that are easily recognizable. More importantly, the stories are fun to read. I recommend this collection.
—Joe Cummings
Comments focus on my three favourite stories, but in general: Absolutely LOVED IT. The stories are fantastic, whimsical, beautiful, touching, and utterly Romantic. My three favourites are "On Love and Beauty", "Blue Bamboo", and "Lanterns of Romance". For the first, I think it was the family and all their quirks that first drew me in, and then their story told in so many different voices made me laugh, smile, and just touched me. One thing I must admit I really liked was the "twist" at the end with the mother -- it made me laugh out loud!"Blue Bamboo" was my favourite. The whole tale felt so magical and yet so down-to-earth. What made me love it the most, I think, was that in the end the hero realizes the value of his wife, and of his life, and ceases trying to be something he is not and never could be."Lanterns of Romance". I was delighted to discover that this featured the same family as the very first, and I loved how different all the parts of the tale were; it made for an unpredictable yet highly enjoyable story, as I was never certain what would come next. The ending reminded me a bit of the Arthurian legend featuring Dame Ragnall. The eldest son's postscript was hilarious (he's so pompous!!) and I liked how the grandfather's medal was finally given in a manner deemed fitting by all -- I actually found it really touching.All in all, highly, highly recommended and I'm curious to read more of his work.
—Anna
