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Confessions of a Mask

Published
Feb 1958
Main Genre
Literary Literary
Rating
Pages
256

About This Book

The story of a man coming to terms with his homosexuality in traditional Japanese society has become a modern classic.

Confessions of a Mask tells the story of Kochan, an adolescent boy tormented by his burgeoning attraction to men: he wants to be "normal."  Kochan is meek-bodied, and unable to participate in the more athletic activities of his classmates. He begins to notice his growing attraction to some of the boys in his class, particularly the pubescent body of his friend Omi. To hide his homosexuality, he courts a woman, Sonoko, but this exacerbates his feelings for men. As news of the War reaches Tokyo, Kochan considers the fate of Japan and his place within its deeply rooted propriety.
     Confessions of a Mask reflects Mishima's own coming of age in post-war Japan. Its publication in English―praised by Gore Vidal, James Baldwin, and Christopher Isherwood― propelled the young Yukio Mishima to international fame.

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Paperback

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Trade Paperback
Feb 1958 New Directions Publishing Corporation ISBN 081120118X
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Paperback
Sep 2017 Penguin (UK) ISBN 024130119X
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
Apr 2021 Owen, Peter Limited ISBN 0720620120
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eBook

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eBook
Sep 2015 Carbon Publishing Co. ISBN B015RRBV08
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eBook
May 2024 Penguin ISBN 1802064621
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