{"product_id":"the-pleasures-of-japanese-literature","title":"The Pleasures of Japanese Literature","description":"\u003cp\u003ePerhaps no one is more qualified to write about Japanese culture than Donald Keene  considered the leading interpreter of that nations literature to the Western world. The author  editor  or translator of nearly three dozen books of criticism and works of literature  Keene now offers an enjoyable and beautifully written introduction to traditional Japanese culture for the general reader.  The book acquaints the reader with Japanese aesthetics  poetry  fiction  and theater  and offers Keenes appreciations of these topics. Based on lectures given at the New York Public Library  The Metropolitan Museum of Art  and the University of California  Los Angeles  the essays -though written by a renowned scholar- presuppose no knowledge of Japanese culture. Keenes deep learning  in fact  enables him to construct an overview as delightful to read as it is informative.  His insights often illuminate aspects of traditional Japanese culture that endure today. One of these is the appreciation of \"perishability.\" this appreciation os seen in countless little bits of Japanese life: in temples made of wood instead of durable materials; in the preference for objects -such as pottery- that are worn  broken  or used rather than new; and in the national love of the delicate cherry blossom  which normally falls after a brief three days of flowering. Keene quotes the fourteenth-century Buddhist monk Kenko  who wrote that \"the most precious thing about life is its uncertainty.\"  Throughout the volume  Keene demonstrates that the rich artistic and social traditions of Japan can indeed be understood by readers from our culture. This book will enlighten anyone interested in Japanese literature and culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44963302211637,"sku":"ByrdShop_0231067364","price":103.63,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780231067362.jpg?v=1770411237","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-pleasures-of-japanese-literature","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}