Classics Considered

by Marian H

Shūsaku Endō

  • Silence and the Samurai

    Silence and the Samurai

    Recently my beloved was in town, and we got to watch a few films together, including Silence (2016). This is the acclaimed adaptation of the novel by Shusaku Endo, which I read and reviewed during the pandemic. Most of you will recall I was really invested in Endo’s writing a few years ago. I read Continue reading

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  • More Endo

    You’re gonna be so sick of me soon… But I promise this one isn’t about the history of Christianity in Japan. 😅 I can’t wait to start it—esarkaye gave it a 4 on GoodReads, and I’ve been having great success lately with Endo’s work. Continue reading

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  • Shūsaku Endō’s The Golden Country – More Reflections on Silence

    The Golden Country: A Play About Christian Martyrs in Japan (1970) is a retelling of Endō’s earlier novel Silence (1966). (You can watch my three-part video review of Silence on YouTube, if you like.) Both stories follow the trials of Father Ferreira, a Portuguese missionary to Japan in the early 1600s. The character of Ferreira Continue reading

  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Sachiko by Shūsaku Endō

    I think Sachiko (1982, transl. 2020) has been my first 5-star novel of the year. In some ways, it doesn’t “deserve” it. Clocking in at 464 pages, it’s long and meandering, more “tell” than “show,” without the brilliant brevity of The Sea and Poison or the pithy structure of Silence. But just like those two Continue reading

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About Me

Hi, I’m Marian—I talk about classics, history, and other books on this blog, as well as on YouTube.

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