The Wasteland: A Novel

By Takahashi Takako

The Wasteland explores the psychology of the modern Japanese woman and her urge to realize an inner self of latent sexuality, long suppressed in Japan's male-dominated society. Nobe Michiko, the novel's narcissistic protagonist, leaves ruined lives in her wake as she pursues her lustful goals. The author, Takahashi Takako (1932-2013) earned bachelor's and master's degrees in French literature at prestigious Kyoto University, a remarkable achievement for a woman in the 1950s. There, she was influenced by the decadent poetry of Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) and the writings of novelist and Catholic apologist Fran ois Mauriac (1885-1970). Christianity and depravity characterize both The Wasteland and many of Takahashi's other works. The novel was first published in 1980 at a time of explosive Japanese economic growth, which, in Takahashi's view, had created in Tokyo a wasteland of immorality and inhumanity. Yet it is a Christian novel, for the author was a devout Roman Catholic (indeed a one-time nun), and the title page epigraph from the Old Testament book of "Hosea" unmistakably mantles the narrative in a religious message--God is here to help if the wayward would but listen. But, do they listen?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 193916110X
• ISBN13: 9781939161109
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: Cornell University - Cornell East Asia Series
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher