Who is Yukio Mishima?
Yukio Mishima (1925 – 1970) was a Japanese author of the post-World War II period. Much of his work deals with the conflict between Western influences on Japan and the code of the samurai, as well as the conflict between intellect and the body. In addition to his novels, short stories, and plays, Mishima is famous for his dramatic ritual suicide at the age of 45. Mishima was born Kimitaka Hiraoka in Tokyo, Japan on 14 January 1925. He later changed his name to hide the fact that he was writing from his anti-literary father. Until the age of 12, Mishima lived with his paternal grandmother, who was quite overprotective. She introduced Mishima to literature, including Western classics, but she did not allow him to spend time in the sun or to play with other boys. Mishima’s common playmates as a child were consequently his female cousins. Mishima began to write at the age of 12; around the same time he moved in with his parents and began attending the prestigious Peers School. His father,
