Viewed Sideways - by Donald Richie (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Over 50 years of essays on Japan from premier film critic, essayist, and novelist, Donald Richie.

This definitive new collection of essays by the writer Time calls "the dean of arts critics in Japan" ranges from Kyogen drama to the sex shows of Shinjuku, from film and Buddhism to Butoh and retro rock 'n' roll, from wasei eigo (Japanese/English) to mizushobai, the fine art of pleasing.

Spanning some fifty years, these thirty-seven essays-most never anthologized before--offer cross-sections of Japan's enormous cultural power. They reflect the unique perspective of a man attempting to understand his adopted home.

The writings of Donald Richie--film critic, reviewer, novelist, and essayist--have influenced generations of Japan observers around the world.

Review Quotes

"An indispensable guide to Japanese cinema and culture."
-Library Journal

"Viewed any which way, Japan through the eyes of Donald Richie is an interesting and rewarding place to read about. This is the third collection of Richie's essays...and yet another reminder that he is a master of the short essay and a thought-provoking guide to his subject. The spare style and distinctive phrasing grow on the reader and are apt for unveiling and imparting...These elegantly brief essays are packed with insights that one needs to unravel and contemplate at one's leisure."
-The Japan Times

About the Author

Donald Richie (1924-2013) lived in Japan from the mid-1940s until his death and was an internationally recognized expert on Japanese culture and film. His many works include The Inland Sea, The Donald Richie Reader, A Lateral View, and A Hundred Years of Japanese Film, as well as works on the film director Yasujiro Ozu and hundreds of essays and book reviews.