chronicles of his life

I’ve been marveling over Donald Keene’s Chronicles of My Life again
recently. It arrived on my doorstep from The Press last week & I just can’t put it down. The overwhelming urge to get on my soapbox over this book has come over me again, so those who have suffered through this spiel already, please bear with me.
This is such a wonderfully heartfelt & humble memoir from THE pre-eminent Japanese Scholar. Keene recounts how he fell into his love for the Japanese culture & language quite by accident, but how those early events shaped the rest of his life. He describes vividly the picture of the often solitary life of a working scholar, as well as glimpses into his friendships with leading Japanese writers of the day. (writers like Mishima, Kenzaburo Oë, & Kobo Abe) His complete immersion into Japanese life & culture is really remarkable & his retelling of this life is a pure joy to read.
Not only is the prose a wonderful read, but the book is beautifully designed as well & filled with dozens of the most whimsical illustrations by the renowned Japanese artist Akira Yamaguchi. I have to say that of all the titles to come down the pike from Columbia over the past 5 or 6 years, this one is my personal favorite.