After being immersed in western style story telling for the summer and fall, I returned to the book "Master of Go" by Kawabata Yasunari (my version trans. by Edward G. Seidensticker). As much as I love the wordy thick powerful snowballing western style, this has been a really refreshing read. Much of the best western story telling, in books, movies and TV shows seems to focus on deep back story, painfully hard decisions and snowballing inevitability. These techniques are engrossing and often exciting but can also feel claustrophobic and at worst contrived.
Kawabata is nothing like this. His characters are deep without complicated back story and his story is intense without a complicated weave of plot. Instead he gives snapshots of personalities and captures gestures with a peculiar unique observation. A great example of this is the Master's long eyebrow hair that he does not want the barber to cut, because it is a symbol of long life, juxtaposed with the fact that he died two days after the end of the match.
The story is told in small chapters that are like vignettes into the progression of the Master and how the game itself defines him. It does not unfold bit by bit, the first chapter talks of his death and the second chapter talks of his reaction to losing the game. After that, every chapter builds on the world of his existence, the tendencies of his opponent and the impact of the game.
One of the strongest and most impressive aspects of the book is its ability to be outwardly calm and observant and yet have a very intense undertone. It's not uncomfortable or claustrophobic like I often feel from western stories, but instead cool yet powerful. The idea is not easy to explain, but what I can say is it is very Japanese in that sense. The book is short, but each gesture, quotation or word holds a great amount of potential, much like a stone on a Go board.
Perhaps comparing it to western fiction isn't exactly right, considering it is a semi-nonfiction style, but it is precisely its technique and choice of story telling that make it strong more than even the content. These are two elements that are key to fiction writing. Considering my own writing, which I feel trends towards that weaving forwardly intense western style, I look to Kawabata for ideas to clam down and strengthen my own storytelling technique.
Anyway, read the book. Kawabata is a master. It is very, very good.
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I made read the book, not based on its Nobel Literature prize but soley on this review alone. Well written.
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