The wonderful idiot

Takamori and his sister Tomoe welcome the wonderfully foolish Gaston Bonaparte, who arrives from Paris to post-World War II Tokyo. Shusaku Endo, the renowned Japanese novelist, delves, through this amusing visit, into the depths of unique Japanese life after a long struggle with tyranny, war, and occupation. There is a desire among the Japanese for a new beginning, which is undermined by deep layers of corruption, hatred, and revenge. This is an engaging and well-crafted novel, profound and frank in raising questions about the post-war world. Folly oscillates between comedy and tragedy, and Endo rewrites Dostoevsky's Idiot with modern variations.

• Category: Translated Novels

• Number of pages: 301 pages