The Cake Tree in the Ruins - Brossura

Nosaka, Akiyuki

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1782274189 ISBN 13: 9781782274186

Casa editrice: Pushkin Pr Ltd, 2018

Riassunto

Intensely moving stories that tell of the absurd violence of war, and tenderly depict the animals and children caught in its vortex.

In 1945, Akiyuki Nosaka watched the Allied firebombing of Kobe kill his adoptive parents, and then witnessed his sister starving to death. The shocking and blisteringly memorable stories of The Cake Tree in the Ruins are based on his own experiences as a child in Japan during the Second World War.

They are stories of a lonely whale searching the oceans for a mate, who sacrifices himself for love; of a mother desperately trying to save her son with her tears; of a huge, magnificent tree which grows amid the ruins of a burnt-out town, its branches made from the sweetest cake imaginable.

Profound, heartbreaking and aglow with a piercing beauty, they express the chaos and terror of conflict, yet also how love can illuminate even the darkest moment.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Crushingly sad... beautiful' -- Jia Tolentino

'Remarkable stories... They are dark but so beautiful, so profound; subtle and elegant. It is a book that will last all your life' --Irish Times

'The sum experience of reading these war reports in fairy-tale disguise is devastating... there's an emotional nakedness here, almost a reversion to childhood that is both completely understandable and often wrenching' -- New York Times

'Heart-wrenching...Tragic and imaginative... These short vignettes stand as chilling reminders of the wartime trauma inflicted upon Japanese youth during and after World War II' -- Los Angeles Review of Books

'In each of these stories, the connections and relationships that are often taken for granted in day-to-day life are elevated alongside the stakes, shining intensely and brilliantly even as tragedy unfolds' -- World Literature Today

'Nosaka's hauntingly sad and beautiful stories... remind us of the full tragedy of World War II' -- Japan Times

'A haunting and unforgettable collection, worthwhile for readers of many ages' --Books on Asia

'The stories are haunting and heart-wrenching but bring to the fore the true horror of war and the effect of propaganda in perpetuating its cruelties' -- Never Imitate (blog)

'The stories are as deep and multi-layered, as beautiful and unique as the baumkuchen in the story of the cake tree. They are meant to be similarly savoured. Now, how can I not wish for more of them?' -- Travelling Birdy (blog)

'Nosaka's gift of celebrating darkened life while illuminating death is extraordinary and the 12 stories in this wonderful collection represent ideal testaments to that... an essential purchase' -- Hits the Fan (blog)

'One can only be shaken by these cruel and magnificent tales, which are also the most eloquent plea for peace imaginable' -- L'Express

'Magical realism with the touch of a master... Nosaka, drawing on his own experiences, in just a few pages bringing to life a world now largely forgotten' --The Reading Life (blog)

L'autore:

Akiyuki Nosaka was born in 1930 in Japan, and was a member of the yakeato generation, 'the generation of the ashes', who survived the devastating firebombing of Japan during the Second World War. Nosaka was an award-winning novelist, short-story writer, essayist, lyricist, singer and politician. His adoptive parents were killed in the Allied firebombing of Kobe, and after he was evacuated with his sister, she died of malnutrition. These experiences inspired the stories in this collection, as well as one of his best-known works, Grave of the Fireflies, which was turned into a hugely successful Studio Ghibli film (called 'a masterpiece' by the Guardian), and which is forthcoming in a new translation from Pushkin Press. Nosaka died in 2015.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Pushkin Pr Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1782274189
• ISBN 13: 9781782274186
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 157