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'Musashi' by Eiji Yoshikawa

(2018-09-17 13:36:23) 下一個

The book got rave reviews from people I admire and I bought
both the audio and hardcover versions. The audio book was
released on Aug 28 and I went through all 53 hours listening
within a week. 

It vaguely reminded me of the WuXia novels that consumed
me as a youth. They disgusted me when I got older, however,
feeling my time wasted on something that stopped to
resonate the moment I started to face real world (well, in
the West at least) problems. They might have temporary
entertainment values for a Chinese youth but overall shed no
light on how one should live.

The near 1000-page tome does not spend much time detailing
how the guy acquired his skills in swordsmanship. Unlike
many WuXia heros, he did not run into some great and
eccentric martial art teacher, secret books, magic herb,
etc., and as a result was transformed over night into an 
unbeatable martial artist. Instead, Musashi practiced in
earnest, observed without sticking to particular styles, and
through discipline improved on his own.

The book, a fiction, made Musashi credible nonetheless. He
didn't get an extra break from life. At a time when the samurai
as a class was leaving the stage in feudal Japan, he made the
personal choice to become one and faced everyday challenges
and life puzzles as everyone else. He was not a genius or a
lucky cat.  Aspirations similar to his felt equally achievable by
anyone as dedicated.

For the first time, I felt I started to understand something 
in a Japanese mind, as described in the preface,
    
    Contrary to the picture of the modern Japanese as merely 
    group oriented ''economic animals,'' many Japanese
    prefer to see themselves as fiercely individualistic,
    high-principled, self-disciplined and aesthetically
    sensitive modern-day Musashis.

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閱讀 ()評論 (4)
評論
7grizzly 回複 悄悄話 回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : When the stories are good, the longer the better. Shogun is one of those. You'll love it. In the form of fiction, it helps understanding world history, religion, and cultures.
暖冬cool夏 回複 悄悄話 回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : I am curious, and just placed a hold to borrow Shogun online from the library. It is also an 1000 page book. I am challenging myself:))
7grizzly 回複 悄悄話 回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : Yes. I spent a lot of time on the useless WuXia. There were no better alternatives. And no, busy reading Shogun, I haven't gone through the hardcover Musashi yet. Listening was so enjoyable and fast.
暖冬cool夏 回複 悄悄話 Good to know that you were a fan of Wuxia novels. Jinyong? Don't ever feel wasted on reading that. Life should be just as multi- faceted (bitter, sweet, etc) and colorful, and you cannot always do the right things at the right time:)). Reading a 1000-page book is a challenge, and congrats on that! I read only magazines recently without time on books. Thanks for sharing.
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