Dream of Light and Wind
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Summary
He dies after a life of "loving the sun, the earth, and living things, despising wealth, giving alms to beggars, striding forward with uneducated but vigorous people, feeling in the bright breeze and sunlight the pleasure of blood coursing beneath skin sweating from hard labor, casting aside the fear of being laughed at, saying only what one truly means and doing only what one truly wants to do," and is buried deep in the rainforest. Nakajima Atsushi, who wrote this story and himself suffered from asthma, also died at thirty-three.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in modern Japanese literature and the spiritual history of intellectuals
- Literature lovers who enjoy Nakajima Atsushi's work and want to understand the full scope of his writing
- Readers who wish to reflect on themes such as the clash of civilizations and identity
- Literary connoisseurs who appreciate austere, beautiful prose and psychological depth
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining reading
- Beginners entirely unfamiliar with modern Japanese history and cultural context
Reading tips
- Readers are advised to first read Nakajima Atsushi's representative works, such as The Moon Over the Mountain and Li Ling, to become familiar with his style before approaching this book.
- It helps to consult background material on Meiji-era Japan and the South Seas while reading, to better understand the text's context.
- Pay attention to the trajectory of the protagonist Sugase Otokohiko's psychological changes and appreciate Nakajima's deep insight into the predicament of intellectuals.
About the publisher
Zhejiang People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its social science, history and foreign literature titles, covering philosophy, politics, law, economics, culture and history. Among the books in the library catalogue, its foreign literature list includes Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital in well-known translations, as well as Wuthering Heights; its history list is represented by Dangnian Mingyue's Ming Dynasty series, and its politics list by Zhejiang New Discourse. Authors represented include Yasunari Kawabata, Ye Weiqu, Tang Yuemei, Dangnian Mingyue, Emily Brontë and René Wellek, with Wellek's Theory of Literature (newly revised edition) among its titles in literary theory. Beyond these areas, the press also publishes works on literary appreciation and social culture, giving it a profile that combines classic translations, popular history and academic works. As publicly available information is limited, other details are not covered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 光风梦
- 南岛谭·篇一·幸福
- 南岛谭·篇二·夫妇
- 南岛谭·篇三·鸡
- 虎狩
- 狼疾记
- 木乃伊
- 塞特纳王子
- 狐凭
- 文字祸
FAQ
How does Light Wind Dream differ from Nakajima Atsushi's other works?
Does the book's unfinished state affect its value for readers?
Why choose Tokutomi Sohō as the model?
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About the author
Nakajima Atsushi was a Japanese author whose work The Moon over the Mountain (Sangetsuki) is relatively widely known among Chinese readers and is often classified under foreign literature. The library holds 10 of his works, including several editions of The Moon over the Mountain, Light and Wind and Dream, a three-volume collection titled Representative Masterpieces of Great Japanese Writers, and a two-volume boxed set, Nakajima Atsushi Novels: The Moon over the Mountain and Light, Wind, and Dream. Because public information is limited, his biographical details are not elaborated here; judged only from his works, his fiction often draws on classical legends and historical figures, with a calm and restrained style that uses ancient settings to explore human perplexity over the self, talent, and fate, and has thus continued to resonate with East Asian readers, with Chinese translations reprinted repeatedly.
Rikka is an author about whom little public information is available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name have not been clearly recorded. Five of her works are currently held in the collection, including The Moon Over the Mountain, Dream of Light and Wind, Shadowed Reflections: Stories Around My Mother, the two-volume Nakajima Atsushi Novel Set: The Moon Over the Mountain and Dream of Light and Wind, and What Strange Creatures Humans Are. They are usually classified under foreign literature and social science. Judging from these works, Rikka's writing often centers on the arrangement and re-presentation of classic texts, as well as on themes such as family bonds and human nature. The Moon Over the Mountain and Dream of Light and Wind engage with the creative world of Nakajima Atsushi, and the set brings the two together; Shadowed Reflections unfolds around the author's mother, carrying a warmth of memory and feeling; What Strange Creatures Humans Are reveals an interest in the subtle recesses of human nature. Overall, her works combine literary reading with reflection, and will suit readers interested in foreign literature and questions of human nature. Because public information is limited, no further confirmed details about the author herself are available.
