THE THREE-CORNERED WORLD is a key work in the Japanese transition from traditional to modern literature. An artist abandons city life to wander into the mountains to meditate, but when he decides to stay at a near-deserted inn he soon finds himself drawn to the daughter of the innkeeper. This strange and beautiful woman is rumoured to have abandoned her husband and fallen in love with a priest at a nearby temple. The artist becomes entranced by her tragic aura. She reminds him of Millais's portrait of Ophelia drowning and he wants to paint her. Yet, troubled by a certain quality in her expression, he struggles to complete the portrait until he is finally able to penetrate the enigma of her life. Interspersed with philosophies of both East and West, Soseki's writing skilfully blends two very different cultures in this unique representation of an artist struggling with his craft and his environment.
- ISBN10 1306834120
- ISBN13 9781306834124
- Publish Date 1 January 2011 (first published May 1965)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 14 April 2015
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Tuttle Publishing
- Format eBook
- Pages 192
- Language English