Shusaku Endo - Böcker

'One of the best historical novels by anyone, ever' David Mitchell

'Japan's greatest twentieth-century author' Graham Greene

'A masterpiece. There can be no higher praise' Daily Telegraph

With an introduction by Martin Scorsese.

Jesuit priest Sebastian Rodrigues sets sail for Japan in 1640, full of idealistic fire. But the cold land he arrives in has no place for missionaries: the Tokugawa shogunate has banned Christianity, and believers face torture and execution. Living in hiding, leading worship in secret, Rodrigues begins to question the true meaning of compassion - and the limits of his own belief.

This stunning work of historical fiction - introduced by Martin Scorsese, who adapted it into a film - is one of literature's deepest explorations of doubt, fellowship, and enduring faith.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by William Johnston.

Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Samurai and The Sea and Poison, all published by Pushkin Press.

William Johnston (1925-2010) was born in Belfast. He entered the Jesuit priesthood and was sent to their mission in Japan in 1951. He would spend most of the rest of his life there, teaching English at Tokyo's Sophia University, writing on mysticism, and practising aspects of both Catholicism and Zen Buddhism.

'Serious, theologically-charged fiction of the highest quality: full, bleak, richly particular'Kirkus Reviews

Winner of the 1980 Noma Literary Prize - a darkly absorbing portrayal of the first Japanese voyage across the Pacific, by the author of Silence

In 17th-century Japan, a diplomatic mission sets sail for the West. Among those facing the combined perils of the sea and foreign courts are ambitious Spanish missionary Pedro Velasco, and Hasekura Rokuemon, a disregarded samurai determined to recover his family's standing. They travel to Mexico City, Rome and back - but Japan's new rulers are persecuting Christians, and if the men survive the journey, they may not survive their homecoming.

This true story of courage and endurance is told with Endo's signature power and simplicity.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Van C. Gessel.

SHUSAKU ENDO (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of the Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Sea and Poison, and his masterpiece Silence, all published by or forthcoming from Pushkin Press.

VAN C. GESSEL (b. 1950) is the former Dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University, and the foremost translator into English of the work of Shusaku Endo. He holds a doctorate in Japanese literature from Columbia University, and in 2018 received Japan's Order of the Rising Sun for his contribution as a translator of Japanese literature.

'Endo is one of the world's greatest novelists' Washington Post

A group of Japanese tourists journey to the sacred River Ganges, each on a secret personal pilgrimage. Widower Isobe mourns for the devoted wife he neglected; gentle children's writer Numanda seeks out the bird he believes saved his life; Kiguchi is haunted by his time as a soldier along the Highway of Death; and Mitsuko reconnects with the classmate she tempted away from the church and cruelly discarded.

At the softly lapping shores of the river - where the faithful come to bathe during their final moments - self-knowledge is sought and memories put to rest. Set against a rich backdrop of 90s India, Deep River is a beautifully moving story showing Endo at the height of his powers as a chronicler of religious experience.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Van C. Gessel.

Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutgawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. His historical fiction novel Silence was adapted into a 2016 film of the same name by the director Martin Scorsese.

Van C. Gessel (b. 1950) is the former Dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University, and the foremost translator into English of the work of Shusaku Endo. He holds a doctorate in Japanese literature from Columbia University, and in 2018 received Japan's Order of the Rising Sun for his contribution as a translator of Japanese literature.

'An important book' Telegraph

Winner of the Akutagawa Prize

In 1950s Japan, Doctor Suguro practises medicine in a backwater still recovering from the war. Quiet and withdrawn, he lives tortured by his conscience and a horrific wartime memory: participating in the vivisection of an American airman, an experiment which led to his agonising death.

This spare, harrowing novel, based on real events, is a profound exploration of the pressures of conflict, the moral numbness of conformity, and the painful legacy of violence.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Michael Gallagher.

SHUSAKU ENDO (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Samurai, and his masterpiece Silence, all published by or forthcoming from Pushkin Press.

MICHAEL GALLAGHER (b. 1930) is a former Jesuit brother and teacher, who has translated several novels from Japanese, including work by Yukio Mishima, Sakyo Komatsu and Akiyuki Nosaka. His translation of Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1973.