When made into a film in 1976, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea was described by Punch as ‘an everyday tale of torture, scopophilia, copulation, masturbation, dismemberment and antique dealing’. All true, though the original title of Mishima’s 1963 novel was rather different. It was Gogo no Eiko, which hinges crucially on the homonym eiko, and can be rendered either ‘An Afternoon’s Glory’ or ‘An Afternoon’s Towing’. Mishima’s English translator, John Nathan, was stumped (all he could think of was Glory is a Drag) and went to the author for help. Mishima, who hungered after the Nobel Prize, decided he wanted ‘a long title in the manner of À la Recherche’ — perhaps to impress the committee — and chose The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, in reference to the (extremely gruesome) downfall of the main character. But it did him little good: sales were disappointing, even in Japan.Consulted:
Nathan, John: Mishima: A Biography (1975)
See a clickable index of all titles covered
I read once that the printing of Mishima’s books would often be delayed while the printers sent off for all the rare and seldom used Japanese characters to be cast into type-settable slugs—what hope then an English translator finding apt English words for a single book titles!
ReplyDeleteYes i've heard that about Mishima. I wish my japanese was good enough to appreciate what must be a highly individual style. It's recognisable enough in english.
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