The Old Capital
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Summary
Editor's review
The main thread is the divergent life paths of the twin sisters Chieko and Naeko, separated by the tricks of fate, yet Kawabata does not strive for dramatic conflict; instead, with the lightest of brushstrokes he sketches the fateful melancholy of their meeting, mutual understanding, and parting once more. This melancholy is not despair but a silent acceptance of the 'contingency' of human circumstance, a long echo of the aesthetics of *mono no aware* in the present world. The detailed descriptions of traditional crafts (Nishijin weaving, Yuzen dyeing) and seasonal festivals not only display Kyoto's cultural texture but also serve as metaphors for a kind of eternal beauty gradually fading under the tide of modernization.
This edition from East China Normal University Press is rendered in clear, elegant language that preserves well Kawabata's prose-poetic rhythm. The appended commentary and chronology offer readers clues for understanding the postwar Japanese cultural context. This is a work that demands calm, attentive reading; it offers no dramatic plot, yet like a cup of aged gyokuro, it is mild at first sip, and in the aftertaste mountains and rivers, years and seasons slowly unfold upon the tongue.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who love the *mono no aware* aesthetic and delicate psychological portrayal in Japanese literature
- Those with a strong interest in Kyoto's history and culture, traditional crafts, and seasonal landscapes
- People seeking a moment of tranquility and aesthetic contemplation amid a fast-paced life
- Scholars and students researching Kawabata's literature or Japan's postwar cultural transformation
Not a good fit for
- Readers who seek strong plot, fast pacing, and dramatic conflict
- Those impatient with cultural detail and expecting a clear resolution
Reading tips
- May be read alongside picture books or documentaries on Kyoto's landscapes to deepen the sense of 'spirit of place'
- Recommended to read following the seasonal sequence indicated in the chapters, to experience the flow of time within the text
- After reading, compare with *Snow Country* and *Thousand Cranes* to appreciate the aesthetic evolution across Kawabata's creative phases
About the publisher
Adhering to the publishing purpose of "broad education," East China Normal University Press extends beyond its three main areas of textbooks, academic works and general-interest books, and its catalogue clearly reflects a vision that bridges Chinese and foreign humanities and social sciences. In foreign literature it offers classics such as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital (translated by Chen Dewen), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Rilke's annotated edition of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (translated by Chen Zao); in architecture, Chen Congzhou's two-volume Appreciation Dictionary of Chinese Gardens; in social psychology, The Social Animal: 12th Edition; and it also includes philosophy titles, traditional-culture works such as the six-volume Paintings for the Protection of Life, and education books. Its authors include renowned Chinese and foreign writers and skilled translators, showing a publishing profile that balances classic translation, scholarly accumulation and public reading. Public information is limited; the above is based only on the books in the catalogue.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 古都
- 春天的花
- 尼寺和格子
- 和服街
- 北山杉
- 祇园祭
- 秋天的颜色
- 松林青青
- 深秋里的姐妹
- 冬天的花
- 花的圆舞曲
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 《古都》后记
- 《古都》译后记
- 《花的圆舞曲》译后记
- 川端康成年谱
FAQ
What is most distinctive about *The Old Capital* compared with Kawabata's other works?
What symbolic meaning does the twin-sister setup carry?
Why is this novel said to embody the aesthetics of *mono no aware*?
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About the author
Kawabata Yasunari (1899–1972) was a Japanese novelist and a leading figure of the New Sensationist school, born in Osaka. A prolific writer, he is represented on this site by 147 works, spanning essays and miscellaneous prose as well as foreign literature. His representative works include The Izu Dancer, Snow Country, Thousand Cranes, and The Old Capital; Snow Country in particular exists in multiple editions and translations, a sign of its wide circulation. Kawabata is known for his delicate prose, which interweaves human emotion with natural scenery to express the spiritual character of the Japanese people, and often conveys a sense of the beauty of impermanence in life and death. In 1968 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, an important landmark in the global recognition of Japanese literature; he died in 1972. Beyond his novels, his essays and miscellaneous writings also deserve attention.
Chen Dewen is a Chinese translator known chiefly for rendering Japanese literature into Chinese, though his personal details are limited: his birth year, native place and educational background are not clearly documented. Judging from the sixty-eight titles held in the collection, his work centers on introducing foreign literature and classic works, with representative translations including Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow, The Decay of the Angel, Runaway Horses and Forbidden Colors in the Zitu Classic Library series, as well as Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and The Old Capital. These translations mainly serve Chinese readers of modern and contemporary Japanese fiction, focusing on major works by writers of high literary standing. Available materials do not systematically record his translation style or views on translation, and the repeated appearance of Snow Country may reflect different editions or reprints, a point that requires further verification. Overall, Chen Dewen's translations offer Chinese-language readers a readable channel into classic Japanese literature.
