Falling Blossom - Couverture souple

Pagnamenta, Peter & Willi

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1846050464 ISBN 13 : 9781846050466

Editeur : Century, 2006

Synopsis

Unusual book

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

The tragic true love story of an English officer, Arthur Hart-Synnot and a Japanese woman, Masa Suzuki, played out against the background of World War One.

This is the beautiful, true story of a tragic love affair. When Arthur Hart-Synnot, a disciplined, conservative British army officer met Masa Suzuki, a bright, beautiful Japanese girl, whilst on a military posting to Japan, the pair fell deeply and hopelessly in love. Masa was more than a ‘temporary wife’ like most of the other officer’s Japanese girlfriends. Arthur described her as ‘the supreme woman in the world.’

When he was recalled to England, then sent to Burma, and then to India, their relationship struggled on, in the face of opposition from her family, from the massive gap between their cultures, from the military and from the huge distances between them. Kept going by the many letters they both dedicated themselves to writing, they remained devoted to each other, despite seeing each other only for a few weeks over more than a decade.

Yet tragedy was to strike and after being horrifically wounded in World War One, Arthur was never able to return to his love. This is a unique picture of the world seen from two very different perspectives. Peter Pagnamenta tells this extraordinary tale in heart-rending detail, using Arthur’s many letters to Masa, translated from Japanese by his co-author Momoko Williams and it is illustrated with photographs of the families.

From the Hardcover edition.

Quatrième de couverture

As Read on BBC Radio 4

'A tenderly moving, expertly told love-story of events beginning over a century ago but not brought to light until 1982. Of all the Madame Butterfly tales, it ranges furthest, its ripples continuing when one has finished reading it.' Guardian

'The love between a British Army Officer and a young Japanese woman that remained a secret to the world until their letters were found, is more astonishing than the opera it mirrors.' Express

'The essence of this inexpressibly beautiful story will remain with me, I believe, for the rest of my life. a tone poem to duty and honour, courage and enduring passion, set against the fantastically rich recent histories of Japan and Ireland, England and France. It is a long time since I have read so moving and haunting a book.'

Simon Winchester

'Seductive and intriguing.' - Times Literary Supplement

'Powerful and remarkable' - London Evening Standard

History/Biography

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Century
• Date d'édition: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1846050464
• ISBN 13: 9781846050466
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 336