num_pages: 224
description: Confessions of a Mask tells the story of Kochan, an adolescent boy tormented by his burgeoning attraction to men: he wants to be “normal.” Kochan is meek-bodied, and unable to participate in the more athletic activities of his classmates. He begins to notice his growing attraction to some of the boys in his class, particularly the pubescent body of his friend Omi. To hide his homosexuality, he courts a woman, Sonoko, but this exacerbates his feelings for men. As news of the War reaches Tokyo, Kochan considers the fate of Japan and his place within its deeply rooted propriety.Confessions of a Mask reflects Mishima’s own coming of age in post-war Japan. Its publication in English―praised by Gore Vidal, James Baldwin, and Christopher Isherwood―propelled the young Yukio Mishima to international fame.
language: English
title: Confessions of a Mask
titlecomplete: Confessions of a Mask
characters: Kochan
genres: Asia, 20th Century, Japanese Literature, LGBT, Novels, Asian Literature, Queer, Literature, Japan, Fiction
ratings_count: 28031
places: Japan, Tokyo
publisher: Peter Owen