قصة الكتاب :
The Sound of the Mountain is a Japanese novel written by Yasunari Kawabata in the years following World War II, between 1949 and 1954. It was translated into English in 1970 by Edward Seidensticker, who went on to win an award for it. The book has even been made into a movie. The story describes the transition into old age. It looks at the predicaments people face as they age and engage in retrospection, while also dealing with the sudden upsurges of passion that mark its closing.
\r\nThe protagonist is family patriarch Ogata Shingo, an elderly Tokyo businessman in his sixties, who has to grapple with the fact that he is growing old. He starts forgetting things and notices that it is happening to him often. At night, he hears the distance rumble from the nearby mountain, a sound that he associates with impending death. Shingo is married to the slightly older Yasuko, sister of his first love, who is no more. They have a son (Shuichi) and a daughter (Fusako). The story raises several questions about parenting and ageing. Shingo went about his life normally and raised his children well. However, he sees their lives fall apart and watches them engage in actions that make him wonder whether these are a reflection of his own imperfect desires. Shingo also has to deal with the renewed emotions that well up inside of him as he ages. He still thinks much of and remembers his first love, who he feels was more beautiful than the woman he married. His feelings are so intense that when he sees his family behave in ways he isn’t able to comprehend; he attributes it to the mistake he made in marrying the wrong sister. His son, Shuichi is married to the beautiful Kikuko who is loyal and faithful to him; yet engages in an extra-marital affair with another woman. He refuses to call it off even after he knows that his wife has stumbled upon the truth, is affected by it and aborted her own baby in desperation. Shingo’s daughter, Fusako also faces a crumbling marriage which ends in her husband’s suicide. Shingo wants badly to intervene and change the course of events but is unable to. He even starts feeling strongly towards Kikuko whose beauty and loyalty remind him of his first love. He never acts on his feelings though and instead hides. He hides behind the everyday routine, the fact that he is ageing and that his memories aren’t what they used to be anyway.
\r\nThe story is quiet and subtle, yet packed with events. Despite his weaknesses, Shingo emerges strong in the end. Rather than give up on his family or condemn himself to death, Shingo learns to accept his family despite their shortcomings. He makes peace with his own errors and brings his family together. The novel thus makes for an excellent read for its beautiful portrayal of a family and its insightful picture of ageing.\r\n