© Columbia University Press
Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan
Paper, 208 pages, 36 illus.
ISBN: 978-0-231-14441-4
$19.95
/ £13.95
May, 2008
Cloth, 208 pages, 36 illus.
ISBN: 978-0-231-14440-7
$27.95
/ £18.95
"Lovingly illustrated by the artist Akira Yamaguchi, the book limns a life inseparably linked to its dominant passion. . . . The history is fascinating, and the literary life Keene has doggedly carved out of it, remarkable." — Andrew Monahan, TIME, Asia Edition
"Keene's book soars, largely because of his intriguing, highly personal account of the literary milieu of Japan, particularly its drama, whether on stage or screen. . . . [An] engaging and eloquent memoir." — Robert Elegant, Times Literary Supplement
"Gratifying . . . picaresque. . . . The pathos at the heart of Keene's lovely and gracious memoir, and perhaps of his extraordinary life, emanates from this very human limitation: we cannot live in and love two worlds at once." — Roland Kelts, Bookforum
"Few memoirs have the concision, modesty, and charm that mark this late-life work by Donald Keene, America's most renowned scholar and interpreter of Japan." — Foreword
"[Keene] shares and teaches, speaking in vignettes by turns wistful, forceful, and lyrical. . . . This slim volume [is] a pleasure to read." — Erik R. Lofgren, World Literature Today
"As arguably the most important person in the creation and establishment of Japan studies in the West, Donald Keene—as well as the work he has produced and the work he has inspired—is certainly deserving of a book-length autobiography. Chronicles of My Life presents a clear view of the arc of an important scholar's life, his involvement with Japan, and the situations that led him to and the events that led him through its study." — Stephen Miller, assistant professor of Japanese, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
"A beautifully written narration of the formation of a scholar/'life artist' that traces the boyhood and early influences of Donald Keene, his gradual awakening to an awareness of other cultures and languages, his introduction to the Chinese and then the Japanese language and culture, his military service during World War II, and his later interactions with many of the major figures of the Japanese literary world of the latter half of the twentieth century." — Laurel Rasplica Rodd, professor of Japanese, University of Colorado