Star

A Japanese literary icon's haunting novella explores fame and disillusionment, featuring a celebrity coming apart at the seams. The novella is written shortly after Yukio Mishima himself had acted in the film Afraid to Die and is a rich and unflinching psychological portrait.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2019
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

A haunting novella of fame and disillusionment by a Japanese literary icon

All eyes are upon Rikio. And he likes it, mostly. His fans cheer from a roped-off section, screaming and yelling to attract his attention. They would kill for a moment alone with him. Finally the director sets up the shot, the camera begins to roll, someone yells "action"; Rikio, for a moment, transforms into another being, a hardened young yakuza, but as soon as the shot is finished, he slumps back into his own anxieties and obsessions.

Written shortly after Yukio Mishima himself had acted in the film Afraid to Die, this novella is a rich and unflinching psychological portrait of a celebrity coming apart at the seams as the absurdity of his existence comes sharply into focus. With exquisite, vivid prose, Star begs the question: is there ever any escape from how we are seen by others?

Weight: 66g
Dimension: 165 x 125 x 8 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241383476