- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Canada; 1st Edition edition (Aug 14 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0676974007
- ISBN-13: 978-0676974003
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #223,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Japan, in a strange combination of cultural arrogance and shyness, has historically hid its face from foreigners, making it a country difficult to know beyond the surface. In the 14 loosely linked short stories of Flight Paths of the Emperor, set mostly in Japan, Steven Heighton reveals some of the complexities of a people whose inner lives have often been a mystery to Westerners. Alongside the unique pressures of ancient social norms and the shadow of Hiroshima, global modernity, too, is having its effect, with the ubiquitous arrival of McDonald's and with young Japanese like the waiter Nori, who states flatly, "Sumo is for old folk."
The delightful "Five Paintings of the New Japan" illuminates how it feels to be the only foreigner working in a venerable Osaka restaurant, as well as the conflict in Japan between tradition and modernity. "An Apparition Play," a bleak and powerful story, carries the heightened emotion of a No drama. In it, the ghost of a dead Japanese mother hovers over the lives of the father, a Westerner, and their half-caste daughter as they visit Japan. Heighton writes with delicacy and insight, whether describing a shy young waitress, "bowed awkwardly and studying her plump brown hands," or subtly suggesting that the slow dying of the emperor himself symbolizes the fading of the world he embodied. In stories delicate and subtle as the legendary haiku of Basho, some humorous and others exhibiting great emotional depth, Heighton has come to grips with what it means to be Japanese. --Mark Frutkin
Review
"Heighton is like the young Ondaatje." — The Globe and Mail
"One of the best books produced by a Canadian writer in the last decade or more." — Vancouver Sun
"Steven Heighton turns a masterful hand to the short story." — Ottawa Citizen
"Achingly beautiful stories that are delicate and grounded explorations of the human condition." — The Calgary Herald
"Heighton delights the reader with his clear-eyed perceptions and delicate style." — Montreal Gazette
"Inquiring, passionate, understanding...Steven Heighton is...a marvellous storyteller with whole hemispheres to teach." — Quill & Quire
"These stories are remarkable in their astute and perceptive portrayal of another culture. Heighton's still, spare prose encapsulates both the Japanese landscape and the psyche of its people." --Times Literary Supplement (2000)
"Flight Paths of the Emperor is one of the best books produced by a Canadian writer in the last decade or more…In each story Heighton sets up a sequence of resonances drawn more from musical thatn literary form…a complex, thoroughly satisfying book." --Vancouver Sun
"Heighton is an empathetic writer…his respect fr other people’s suffering is immense, direct, and without glaring ideological motivation. Flight Paths of the Emperor is a pleasure to read." --Shift
"Heighton writes achingly beautiful stories that are delicate and grounded explorations of the human condition." --Calgary Herald
"In all these stories, Heighton demonstrates mastery of character and social nuance." --The Toronto Star
"One of the best books produced by a Canadian writer in the last decade or more." — Vancouver Sun
"Steven Heighton turns a masterful hand to the short story." — Ottawa Citizen
"Achingly beautiful stories that are delicate and grounded explorations of the human condition." — The Calgary Herald
"Heighton delights the reader with his clear-eyed perceptions and delicate style." — Montreal Gazette
"Inquiring, passionate, understanding...Steven Heighton is...a marvellous storyteller with whole hemispheres to teach." — Quill & Quire
"These stories are remarkable in their astute and perceptive portrayal of another culture. Heighton's still, spare prose encapsulates both the Japanese landscape and the psyche of its people." --Times Literary Supplement (2000)
"Flight Paths of the Emperor is one of the best books produced by a Canadian writer in the last decade or more…In each story Heighton sets up a sequence of resonances drawn more from musical thatn literary form…a complex, thoroughly satisfying book." --Vancouver Sun
"Heighton is an empathetic writer…his respect fr other people’s suffering is immense, direct, and without glaring ideological motivation. Flight Paths of the Emperor is a pleasure to read." --Shift
"Heighton writes achingly beautiful stories that are delicate and grounded explorations of the human condition." --Calgary Herald
"In all these stories, Heighton demonstrates mastery of character and social nuance." --The Toronto Star
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Mixed Bag, Dec 7 2001
By Evan A Genest - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Flight Paths of the Emperor (Paperback)
This is a collection of autobiographical short stories from a university student who travels to Japan to teach English.I enjoyed the author's account of growing up in his Canadian household. Heighton writes very expressively about what it feels like to be a small kid, Dad zipping in and out of the house to foreign lands, parents fighting, hiding under a table when the domestic situation got violent, and later, as a teenager, a frank conversation with his mom over a Labatts.
I also enjoyed the account of weird, oldschool, 1950's, post-War coffeehouses. Best of all was the chapter where he describes applying for, and being hired to work as a waiter in a Japanese restaurant. Heighton frankly admits that he speaks little Japanese and then describes his encounters with the patrons and staff which will make any foreign expatriate or ex restaurant worker smile in recognition.
As good as those chapters were, I couldn't finish any of the other chapters of the book. This book is worth the price if you buy it in paperback or used.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic, May 4 2001
By Gary Warnock - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Flight Paths of the Emperor (Paperback)
A wonderful book, brilliantly written, and I recomend it to anyone who appreciates good literature.
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