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The Breaking Jewel
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The Breaking Jewel Hardcover - 2003

by Makoto Oda; Donald Keene (Translator)


From the publisher

Set on an island in the South Pacific during the final days of World War II, when the tide has turned against Japan and the war has unmistakably become one of attrition, The Breaking Jewel offers a rare depiction of the Pacific War from the Japanese side and captures the essence of Japan's doomed imperial aims. The novel opens as a small force of Japanese soldiers prepares to defend a tiny and ultimately insignificant island from a full-scale assault by American forces. Its story centers on squad leader Nakamura, who resists the Americans to the end, as he and his comrades grapple with the idea of gyokusai (translated as "the breaking jewel" or the "pulverization of the gem"), the patriotic act of mass suicide in defense of the homeland. Well known for his antiestablishment and antiwar sentiments, Makuto Oda gradually and subtly develops a powerful critique of the war and the racialist imperial aims that proved Japan's undoing.

First line

glances back and forth between Kon to Nakamura as if comparing the two men. A weird-looking bird that nested in the jungle passed overhead, emitting eerie squawks, each time more sharply penetrating, a strange cry like the holing of an infant.

Details

  • Title The Breaking Jewel
  • Author Makoto Oda; Donald Keene (Translator)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 136
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Columbia University Press
  • Date March 15, 2003
  • ISBN 9780231126120 / 0231126123
  • Weight 0.64 lbs (0.29 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.44 x 5.74 x 0.6 in (21.44 x 14.58 x 1.52 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Asian - General
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002073430
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Kirkus Reviews, 02/01/2003, Page 183
  • Library Journal, 02/01/2003, Page 118

About the author

Makuto Oda is a novelist and peace activist. His first literary fame came with the 1961 bestseller Nan demo mite varo (I'll Look at Anything). He is also the author of Hiroshima, first translated into English as The Bomb and later republished as H.Donald Keene is Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University. He is the author of more than thirty books, most recently, Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912 and Five Modern Japanese Novelists, both published by Columbia. He divides his time between Tokyo and New York City.