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SHOWA

Name: SHOWA
Author: Carol Gluck
ISBN: 0-393-02984-0

THE JAPAN OF HIROHITO

edited by Carol Gluck & Stephen R. Graubard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 27, 1992

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In this stimulating and comprehensive essay collection (originally published as the Summer 1990 issue of Daedalus, which Graubard edits), distinguished American and Japanese scholars debate the significance of the ``Showa'' era—the reign of Emperor Hirohito, from 1925 to 1989—in Japanese history. Ironically, ``Showa'' means ``enlightened peace''—a term, the authors (including nine Americans and seven Japanese) make clear, that could not be less appropriate for this period in which Japan fought a world war, suffered ignominious defeat and occupation for the first time in its history, and subsequently rose to become the world's preeminent economic power. Ushered in with a lengthy introduction by Gluck (History/Columbia), the 16 essays offer as their main themes the causes of the war, the reasons for postwar growth, and the paradoxes in Japanese-US relations. The authors who address the issue of war (e.g., Masataka Kosaka: International Politics/Kyoto Univ.) see the conflict primarily as a Japanese reaction to vast British, Soviet, and American empires around Japan, and partially as the product of domestic forces (the weak constitutional structure and politically impotent imperial system, which left a power vacuum filled by military leaders). Regarding postwar growth, authors (e.g., Herbert Passim: Sociology/Columbia) tend not to emphasize Japanese ingenuity but to stress the unique history of American involvement in the Japanese economy, as well as policies imposed by the postwar government to encourage production and discourage consumption. The American influence is a major theme here, and there is a consensus among the authors that the American- Japanese relationship will continue to be of major significance for the economic well-being of both countries. Primarily for its rare mix of American and Japanese perspectives, an important contribution to our understanding of both Japan and Japanese-American relations.

Pub Date: Jan. 27, 1992

ISBN: 0-393-02984-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.