heart of darkness - heart of the matter., 07 Mar 2007
SILENCE; Shusaku Endo. ISBN-10; 0720612861

This is a harrowing and testing story of a Portugese priest -missionary pushing his faith to the limits in 17th century Japan.
Japan at the time was purging itself of alien influences and determined to drive christianity out of it's islands.
Christians were subject to persecution and those interrogated by the authorities forced to renounce their faith.
The leading character, one Sebastian Rodrigues is out to find the truth behind the reports that his mentor, Ferreira had been catechized and forced to abandon his faith - recant.
From Rodrigues covert entry to the islands through his betrayal to his ultimate enlightenment - his faith - his belief - is severely tested - pushed to the limits.
He constantly asks why God remains silent through all the suffering, persecution and oppression only to realise that God had been and will always be his constant companion.
Endo (in transaltion) is a superb storyteller and writer often compared to Graham Greene - but to me his style and influence has stronger affiliations with two great authours of his previous generation - Joseph Conrad and Thomas Hardy.
Endo is one of my favoured authours and 'Silence' has to be acknowledged as one of the finest works of fiction of all time.

heart of darkness - heart of the matter., 07 Mar 2007
SILENCE; Shusaku Endo. ISBN-10; 0720612861

This is a harrowing and testing story of a Portugese priest -missionary pushing his faith to the limits in 17th century Japan.
Japan at the time was purging itself of alien influences and determined to drive christianity out of it's islands.
Christians were subject to persecution and those interrogated by the authorities forced to renounce their faith.
The leading character, one Sebastian Rodrigues is out to find the truth behind the reports that his mentor, Ferreira had been catechized and forced to abandon his faith - recant.
From Rodrigues covert entry to the islands through his betrayal to his ultimate enlightenment - his faith - his belief - is severely tested - pushed to the limits.
He constantly asks why God remains silent through all the suffering, persecution and oppression only to realise that God had been and will always be his constant companion.
Endo (in transaltion) is a superb storyteller and writer often compared to Graham Greene - but to me his style and influence has stronger affiliations with two great authours of his previous generation - Joseph Conrad and Thomas Hardy.
Endo is one of my favoured authours and 'Silence' has to be acknowledged as one of the finest works of fiction of all time.


Wonderful and not foolish at all!, 30 Dec 2003
'Wonderful Fool' goes where Western novelists cannot. Endo just gets on with the story. He doesn't try to define or psychoanalyse Japan. He is not obsessed with geisha or tea ceremonies or ascents of Mt Fuji. However, in the minutiae of the narration, there is much over which Japanophiles can get excited. (Although it was written some 50 years ago, the novel reveals a fairly modern Japan).

The snapshots of Tokyo are great. We get a taste of seedy-Tokyo, gangster-Tokyo, business-Tokyo, after-work Tokyo and suburban Tokyo. Are these snapshots real or pure fiction? Who cares! They leave the Lonely Planet guide for dead.

Endo's action scenes are an unexpected treat and call to mind manga. There is something quintessentially Japanese about their delivery. The whole of the translation is the same. I love the choice of words and phrases - the English is flawless yet it has a ring of scholarly foreigness about it. Mixed with violence - which is graphic enough (shovels are brought down emphatically on heads, outstretched hands are stomped on) - is comedy. There are some extremely funny moments in this novel.

In addition, the story is layered perfectly and excitement mounts as the climax draws nigh. The end, unfortunately, is a bit of a let down. But since it's such an irrepresible book, and since I received such an entertaining insider guide through Tokyo, I got over this disappointment quite quickly.

A beautiful, harrowing novel, 09 Mar 2002
In some ways this is a very short, almost repetative novel, in which little seems to happen. But the spiritual and moral struggle of its protagonist, and the final resolution are both staggeringly powerful and inevitable. Having recently re-read Mary Doria Russell's 'The Sparrow' there are obvious parrallels, but there are major differences - where Russell's priest learns to hate God through his torture, Endo's priest comes to a new understanding and love of Jesus that transforms his life and sufferings. A remarkable book.

The holy foolcan't stop loving broken human beings., 01 Jul 2001
This novel was one of the first of Endo's books that I read and is still my favorite. In it the main character gaston a 'horse faced' descendant of Bonepate comes to Japan on a special mission, the details of which are not revealed till the final page. Gaston shows his naive innocence, love and compassion with every person he encounters. Especially with the main character who is out to revenge the death of his brother.Endo gives this character his own surname and clearly identifies wants to identify himself more with the 'hopeless sinner' than the 'innocent saint'. Though Tomoe the girl in the book makes the discover that there are fools and fools. " A man who loves others with an open hearted simplicity, who trusts others no matter who they are, or even if he is deceived or even betrayed...is indeed bound to be written off as a fool... But not an ordinary fool. He is a wonderful fool who will never allow the little light which he sheds along man's path to go out. The novel is simply and beautifully written. Endo wrote all his novels by hand in pencil. The carefully crafted images own much to a haiku type simplicity. If you enjoy Wonderful Fool you will be eager to read others where the same characters emerge in different guises always with Endo's distinctive view of Japanese Christianity enfolded within the plot.

heart of darkness - heart of the matter., 07 Mar 2007
SILENCE; Shusaku Endo. ISBN-10; 0720612861

This is a harrowing and testing story of a Portugese priest -missionary pushing his faith to the limits in 17th century Japan.
Japan at the time was purging itself of alien influences and determined to drive christianity out of it's islands.
Christians were subject to persecution and those interrogated by the authorities forced to renounce their faith.
The leading character, one Sebastian Rodrigues is out to find the truth behind the reports that his mentor, Ferreira had been catechized and forced to abandon his faith - recant.
From Rodrigues covert entry to the islands through his betrayal to his ultimate enlightenment - his faith - his belief - is severely tested - pushed to the limits.
He constantly asks why God remains silent through all the suffering, persecution and oppression only to realise that God had been and will always be his constant companion.
Endo (in transaltion) is a superb storyteller and writer often compared to Graham Greene - but to me his style and influence has stronger affiliations with two great authours of his previous generation - Joseph Conrad and Thomas Hardy.
Endo is one of my favoured authours and 'Silence' has to be acknowledged as one of the finest works of fiction of all time.


Wonderful and not foolish at all!, 30 Dec 2003
'Wonderful Fool' goes where Western novelists cannot. Endo just gets on with the story. He doesn't try to define or psychoanalyse Japan. He is not obsessed with geisha or tea ceremonies or ascents of Mt Fuji. However, in the minutiae of the narration, there is much over which Japanophiles can get excited. (Although it was written some 50 years ago, the novel reveals a fairly modern Japan).

The snapshots of Tokyo are great. We get a taste of seedy-Tokyo, gangster-Tokyo, business-Tokyo, after-work Tokyo and suburban Tokyo. Are these snapshots real or pure fiction? Who cares! They leave the Lonely Planet guide for dead.

Endo's action scenes are an unexpected treat and call to mind manga. There is something quintessentially Japanese about their delivery. The whole of the translation is the same. I love the choice of words and phrases - the English is flawless yet it has a ring of scholarly foreigness about it. Mixed with violence - which is graphic enough (shovels are brought down emphatically on heads, outstretched hands are stomped on) - is comedy. There are some extremely funny moments in this novel.

In addition, the story is layered perfectly and excitement mounts as the climax draws nigh. The end, unfortunately, is a bit of a let down. But since it's such an irrepresible book, and since I received such an entertaining insider guide through Tokyo, I got over this disappointment quite quickly.

A beautiful, harrowing novel, 09 Mar 2002
In some ways this is a very short, almost repetative novel, in which little seems to happen. But the spiritual and moral struggle of its protagonist, and the final resolution are both staggeringly powerful and inevitable. Having recently re-read Mary Doria Russell's 'The Sparrow' there are obvious parrallels, but there are major differences - where Russell's priest learns to hate God through his torture, Endo's priest comes to a new understanding and love of Jesus that transforms his life and sufferings. A remarkable book.

The holy foolcan't stop loving broken human beings., 01 Jul 2001
This novel was one of the first of Endo's books that I read and is still my favorite. In it the main character gaston a 'horse faced' descendant of Bonepate comes to Japan on a special mission, the details of which are not revealed till the final page. Gaston shows his naive innocence, love and compassion with every person he encounters. Especially with the main character who is out to revenge the death of his brother.Endo gives this character his own surname and clearly identifies wants to identify himself more with the 'hopeless sinner' than the 'innocent saint'. Though Tomoe the girl in the book makes the discover that there are fools and fools. " A man who loves others with an open hearted simplicity, who trusts others no matter who they are, or even if he is deceived or even betrayed...is indeed bound to be written off as a fool... But not an ordinary fool. He is a wonderful fool who will never allow the little light which he sheds along man's path to go out. The novel is simply and beautifully written. Endo wrote all his novels by hand in pencil. The carefully crafted images own much to a haiku type simplicity. If you enjoy Wonderful Fool you will be eager to read others where the same characters emerge in different guises always with Endo's distinctive view of Japanese Christianity enfolded within the plot.

A magnificent book, beautifully written by a master, 23 Oct 2001
Shusaku Endo's ability to tell a story is nowhere more apparent in this moving tale of Japan during a particularly difficult period of her history. Christianity has arrived in Japan and is slowly making in-roads into, what is for the westerner, an alien culture. Converts have been made but the various warlords who run Japan are anxious about foreign influences especially that of Christianity. In order to safe guard the interests of Japan two Samurai are sent to visit the pope in Rome in a long perilous journey. I will not ruin the story by tell you what happened but the results for these two Samurai were tragic and it was for many Japanese Christians. You simply must read this book.

heart of darkness - heart of the matter., 07 Mar 2007
SILENCE; Shusaku Endo. ISBN-10; 0720612861

This is a harrowing and testing story of a Portugese priest -missionary pushing his faith to the limits in 17th century Japan.
Japan at the time was purging itself of alien influences and determined to drive christianity out of it's islands.
Christians were subject to persecution and those interrogated by the authorities forced to renounce their faith.
The leading character, one Sebastian Rodrigues is out to find the truth behind the reports that his mentor, Ferreira had been catechized and forced to abandon his faith - recant.
From Rodrigues covert entry to the islands through his betrayal to his ultimate enlightenment - his faith - his belief - is severely tested - pushed to the limits.
He constantly asks why God remains silent through all the suffering, persecution and oppression only to realise that God had been and will always be his constant companion.
Endo (in transaltion) is a superb storyteller and writer often compared to Graham Greene - but to me his style and influence has stronger affiliations with two great authours of his previous generation - Joseph Conrad and Thomas Hardy.
Endo is one of my favoured authours and 'Silence' has to be acknowledged as one of the finest works of fiction of all time.


Wonderful and not foolish at all!, 30 Dec 2003
'Wonderful Fool' goes where Western novelists cannot. Endo just gets on with the story. He doesn't try to define or psychoanalyse Japan. He is not obsessed with geisha or tea ceremonies or ascents of Mt Fuji. However, in the minutiae of the narration, there is much over which Japanophiles can get excited. (Although it was written some 50 years ago, the novel reveals a fairly modern Japan).

The snapshots of Tokyo are great. We get a taste of seedy-Tokyo, gangster-Tokyo, business-Tokyo, after-work Tokyo and suburban Tokyo. Are these snapshots real or pure fiction? Who cares! They leave the Lonely Planet guide for dead.

Endo's action scenes are an unexpected treat and call to mind manga. There is something quintessentially Japanese about their delivery. The whole of the translation is the same. I love the choice of words and phrases - the English is flawless yet it has a ring of scholarly foreigness about it. Mixed with violence - which is graphic enough (shovels are brought down emphatically on heads, outstretched hands are stomped on) - is comedy. There are some extremely funny moments in this novel.

In addition, the story is layered perfectly and excitement mounts as the climax draws nigh. The end, unfortunately, is a bit of a let down. But since it's such an irrepresible book, and since I received such an entertaining insider guide through Tokyo, I got over this disappointment quite quickly.

A beautiful, harrowing novel, 09 Mar 2002
In some ways this is a very short, almost repetative novel, in which little seems to happen. But the spiritual and moral struggle of its protagonist, and the final resolution are both staggeringly powerful and inevitable. Having recently re-read Mary Doria Russell's 'The Sparrow' there are obvious parrallels, but there are major differences - where Russell's priest learns to hate God through his torture, Endo's priest comes to a new understanding and love of Jesus that transforms his life and sufferings. A remarkable book.

The holy foolcan't stop loving broken human beings., 01 Jul 2001
This novel was one of the first of Endo's books that I read and is still my favorite. In it the main character gaston a 'horse faced' descendant of Bonepate comes to Japan on a special mission, the details of which are not revealed till the final page. Gaston shows his naive innocence, love and compassion with every person he encounters. Especially with the main character who is out to revenge the death of his brother.Endo gives this character his own surname and clearly identifies wants to identify himself more with the 'hopeless sinner' than the 'innocent saint'. Though Tomoe the girl in the book makes the discover that there are fools and fools. " A man who loves others with an open hearted simplicity, who trusts others no matter who they are, or even if he is deceived or even betrayed...is indeed bound to be written off as a fool... But not an ordinary fool. He is a wonderful fool who will never allow the little light which he sheds along man's path to go out. The novel is simply and beautifully written. Endo wrote all his novels by hand in pencil. The carefully crafted images own much to a haiku type simplicity. If you enjoy Wonderful Fool you will be eager to read others where the same characters emerge in different guises always with Endo's distinctive view of Japanese Christianity enfolded within the plot.

A magnificent book, beautifully written by a master, 23 Oct 2001
Shusaku Endo's ability to tell a story is nowhere more apparent in this moving tale of Japan during a particularly difficult period of her history. Christianity has arrived in Japan and is slowly making in-roads into, what is for the westerner, an alien culture. Converts have been made but the various warlords who run Japan are anxious about foreign influences especially that of Christianity. In order to safe guard the interests of Japan two Samurai are sent to visit the pope in Rome in a long perilous journey. I will not ruin the story by tell you what happened but the results for these two Samurai were tragic and it was for many Japanese Christians. You simply must read this book.

An excellent historical approach to Jesusý life., 11 Nov 2000
An excellent historical approach to Jesus' life, written like a romance.

Although a catholic writer, Shuzaku Endo attempts, in this book, to reconstruct the life of Jesus from a strictly historical point of view.

Through a careful reading of the Gospels and of texts by some historians of the time, the author approaches the most significant episodes of Jesus' public life, questioning the different versions of the events and trying to build his own theory of what really happened.

Although its historical and unbiased rigour, 'A Life of Jesus' is read like a romance that can not be put aside. It's only sad that the author only draws his attention over Jesus' public life (his later years), not studying his mysterious birth nor his first years of age.

An excellent book for those interested (even that only in an historical perspective) in discovering the truth behind this man whose life changed the world's history, Jesus.