Nietzsche

spider silkYukio Mishima and Japanese Literature

Ryunosuke Akutagawa's "The Spider's Thread" Synopsis and Impressions - A famous short story, famous as a Buddhist fairy tale! A thread of salvation hung in hell!

The Spider's Thread" is the first children's literature written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and is a famous short story that is also famous as a Buddhist tale. As a Buddhist monk, I have seen and heard the story of "The Spider's Thread" in many Dharma talks and Buddhist books, and I believe that this story has been familiar to the Japanese people as a whole, beyond the framework of temple-related works.

In the commentary at the end of the book, there is a detailed explanation of the production of "The Spider's Thread," which was quite a surprise to me. To summarize the main points briefly, (1) it is not known whether "The Spider's Thread" is originally of Buddhist origin or not, and (2) this work is also related to Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. This article will look at this in more detail.
The Italian Renaissance and the Revolution of Knowledge

Petrarch's "On Ignorance" Synopsis and Comments - Recommended to learn what Renaissance Humanism is all about!

This work was born out of Petrarch's own experiences. Petrarch published this work as a rebuttal to the unjustified slander he had received, and since it is also a manifesto of Renaissance literature, one can only marvel at Petrarch's literary talent.

What is Ignorance?" is a work that gives us a very important insight into what the Renaissance was all about. I highly recommend this work not only to Petrarch himself, but also to anyone interested in the Renaissance.
Buddhist Columns & Dharma Talks

Reggie's "Fast Culture: People Who Want Answers in 10 Minutes" Impressions - The Dark Side of Modern Japan from the Perspective of Culture. A stimulating work that cuts to the mechanisms of influencer popularity.

What is the darkness of modern people who try to consume culture as if it were fast food?

I was really interested in this book when I saw it on my Twitter timeline!

This book is not simply a work written to criticize "Hiroyuki, Atsuhiko Nakata, Kazu Laser, DaiGo, Yusaku Maezawa, Takafumi Horie" and other influencers.

Rather, the work carefully follows the mechanisms of modern society as to why we are attracted to such influencers.

I really appreciate this book for my love of reading. I recommend it!
Tolstoy, the Russian Giant

Summary and Comments on Berlin's "The Hedgehog and the Fox" - A valuable reference on Tolstoy's "War and Peace".

When I study Tolstoy, I always think that the number of reference books on Tolstoy is obviously much smaller than those on Dostoevsky. Moreover, there are almost no reference books that specialize in individual works.

In this context, "The Hedgehog and the Fox," introduced here, is an extremely valuable reference book on Tolstoy's works.

In this work you will learn about Tolstoy's characteristics and his historical philosophy on the subject of "War and Peace". It is a stimulating and interesting book and we highly recommend this reference work.
Learning from the Philosopher Schopenhauer

List of 4 recommended Schopenhauer works and commentary articles - The German pessimist master who was also influenced by Buddhism.

In this article, we will recommend four of Schopenhauer's recommended works and, as an extra, six explanatory and reference articles.

It was quite a demanding time reading his book, thinking about it, and writing the article. I felt several times more fatigued and depressed than usual.

But that is also why I felt that we must overcome Schopenhauer's pessimism. I felt again that Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Zola were the great predecessors of Schopenhauer. I felt as if I understood a little why the great writers of that era were so earnest in their contemplation of "life.
The Amazing Life of Mendelssohn, the Miraculous Musician

H. C. Volpus, "Mendelssohn, the Great Composer" - Recommended biography with a full introduction to the music!

This biography is an excellent introduction to Mendelssohn.

His life is compactly summarized in about 130 pages, yet easy to read and interesting.

Another unique feature of this biography is that after the biographical portion of the book, the author uses about 60 pages to introduce the songs. This book is an invaluable guide to Mendelssohn's music.
Europe through Classical and Western Art

ひのまどか『ビゼー―劇場に命をかけた男』～カルメンの作曲家ビゼーの生涯を知るのにおすすめ伝記！

この伝記を読んで、私がこれまで学んできた文学、芸術、歴史が繋がったのを感じました。繋がる瞬間ってやはりビビッと来ますよね。これがあるから読書はやめられません。私にとって、「あぁ！そうだったのか！」という発見は読書の最大の喜びのひとつです。この本も刺激に満ちた最高に面白い作品でした。

１９世紀中頃のフランス事情を知るのにもおすすめな作品です。
Europe through Classical and Western Art

ひのまどか『ワーグナー―バイロイトの長い坂道』～ワーグナーの生涯を知るのにおすすめの伝記！

ワーグナーの参考書は以前当ブログでも「樋口裕一『ヴァーグナー 西洋近代の黄昏』ワーグナーの特徴を知るためのおすすめ参考書！」の記事で紹介しましたが、『ヴァーグナー 西洋近代の黄昏』は彼の思想的な面がメインとなっていますので生涯を学ぶとなれば今回ご紹介するひのまどか著の『ワーグナー―バイロイトの長い坂道』がおすすめです。
Learning from the Philosopher Schopenhauer

Zafransky, "Schopenhauer: One Biography of a Raging Age of Philosophy" - Recommended biography to learn about the historical background and family environment.

Zafransky's book explains the historical background and currents of thought at the time. The book will look completely different if you read it after learning about the era in which Schopenhauer lived and his personality.

After all, even an abstract "thought" is something that is produced by a "living person. It is difficult to understand an idea even if one tries to look at it alone. This book makes us think about the fact that ideas are born in close relation with the times, society, and people. If you understand the historical background, it becomes much easier to understand the ideas. I think this book is a wonderful example of that.

This is a valuable biography that allows us to know not only the philosopher Schopenhauer, who created a difficult and demanding philosophy, but also Schopenhauer the man. I can see why this book is called a masterpiece.
Nietzsche and Dostoevsky

List of 7 Nietzsche Recommended Works and Commentary Articles - Nietzsche is interesting! Not only his philosophy, but also his life and personality!

Nietzsche's philosophical writings may have an image of being esoteric, but it is a fact that they are still loved by many people to this day. I believe that Nietzsche's books continue to be read by many people not only because they are difficult to understand, but also because they have a strong message that strikes a chord with readers.

In this article, I will present seven of Nietzsche's philosophical books that I would recommend, as well as several articles with interesting commentaries on Nietzsche.