Popular books

Hong Ying

Córka rzeki

<p>Pasjonująca autobiografia łączy w sobie brutalny realizm z ciepłem i poezją.</p><p>Ujawnia prawdziwe oblicze chińskiego socjalistycznego dobrobytu i pokazuje, że człowiek o rozbudzonej świadomości może odmienić własny los.</p><

Hong Ying

Daughter of the River (chinese)

Originally titled "Daughter of Hunger," this ia a thoroughly engaging, inspirational autobiography of a young woman writer coming of age during the Great Famine of China. Hong Ying provides a vivid account of growing up on the banks of the Yangtze River amongst severe impoverishment, political oppression and intense familial strain. This is an honest story of a woman's struggle for civil liberation in a land whose river symbolizes, for her, the spirit and unity of her people.<

Hong Ying

Death in Shanghai (chinese)

夜降临太早,这场雨真的永远没完。上海的马路,像一个个织妇的手把细丝般的水掂捏成一束,从路四角汇集到铁阴沟盖,汩汩地流下去。下水道被如此泡过几个星 期之后,潮气升出,带着磷火的蓝光,幽幽地游动在四周。法租界兰心大戏院门口人头攒动,伞和尖顶的雨衣密密麻麻占了蒲石路迈而西爱路口。这不奇怪,每晚都 如此,今天令人不安的是似有若无的说法。事情已经发生,事情正在发生。<

Hong Ying

The English Lover (K: The Art Of Love) (chinese)

<p>Set in 1930s China, this is a true but tragic tale of romance, sexual desire, and untimely death. Beautiful, intelligent, and schooled in the Daoist arts of love, Lin is married to a provincial university professor. Julian Bell, son of Vanessa Bell, and darling of the Bloomsbury set, has arrived in China, hungry for experience. Their mutual attraction leads to a passionate phy-sical and spiritual sojourn in Beijing. Unable to realize their love in a society divided by cultural conflict and the threat of war, they eventually part: Julian to fight for the Loyalists in Spain and Lin to contemplate suicide in her husband's house.</p><p>他的脸触到她的面颊,好烫,她的嘴唇很红。他轻轻吻她的脸,脖颈,寻找她的嘴唇,他的一只手从她的腰摸到她的肩,移到前面薄薄的旗袍覆盖着的乳房,她无法遮掩的坚挺起来的乳头,马上使他冲动起来。他们被激情燃烧得透不过气来…</p><p>虹影的《英国情人》属于苏童一路,她把人物的心性刻划得相当充分,她的叙述不断地对人物的感觉体验和内心活动进行辩析,但又不繁琐,始终保持一种明晰和流畅。从这一意义来说,虹影的小说叙述功夫已经相当到位,没有什么理由不认为她是一个称职而出色的小说家。</p><

Irvin-D Yalom

Das Spinoza-Problem

<p>Der jüdische Philosoph Spinoza und der nationalsozialistische Politiker Alfred Rosenberg – nicht nur Jahrhunderte liegen zwischen ihnen, auch ihre Weltanschauungen könnten unterschiedlicher nicht sein. Der eine ein unbeugsamer Freigeist, der wegen seiner religionskritischen Ansichten aus der jüdischen Gemeinde verbannt wurde und heute als Begründer der modernen Bibelkritik gilt. Der andere ein verbohrter, von Hass zerfressener Antisemit, dessen Schriften ihn zum führenden Ideologen des nationalsozialistischen Regimes machten und der dafür bei den Nürnberger Prozessen zur Rechenschaft gezogen wurde. Und trotzdem gibt es eine Verbindung zwischen ihnen, von der kaum jemand weiß, denn bis zu seinem Tod war Rosenberg wie besessen vom Werk des jüdischen Rationalisten, als dessen »entschiedenster Verehrer« sich kein geringerer als Johann Wolfgang von Goethe bezeichnet. Fesselnd erzählt der große Psychoanalytiker Irvin D. Yalom die Geschichte dieser beiden unterschiedlichen Männer und entführt seine Leser dabei in die Welt der Philosophie und gleichzeitig auch in die Tiefen der menschlichen Psyche.</p><p>Die amerikanische Originalausgabe erschien 2012 unter dem Titel »The Spinoza Problem« bei Basic Books, New York</p><

Ivan Yefremov

Andromeda (A Space-Age Tale)

Великое Кольцо

Ivan Yefremov

The Heart of the Serpent

Великое Кольцо

The crew of a spaceship encounters an alien ship in deep space. Speculation ensues about whether the other crew might be hostile. Comparisons are made to American SF writer Murray Leinster’s story, “First Contact“, in which an elaborate protocol is developed to prevent the aliens from following the Terrans home and destroying them, or vice versa. The premise of Leinster’s story is debunked, in part by pointing out that in order for a planet’s civilization to become space-faring, they would need to be at peace among themselves and presumably have organized themselves into a planet-wide classless society, a point Yefremov had made earlier in his novel Andromeda. Thus the aliens must necessarily be peaceful.<

Ivan Yefremov

The Land of Foam

The romance appeared in 1949; it is a story of the art and culture of ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, of the people inhabiting the world of those days; the varying landscape of Africa is shown in all its awe-inspiring grandeur. A young Hellene, Pandion, is enslaved by the Egyptians, escapes and on his way back home has many thrilling adventures. With his friends, the Negro Kidogo, and Etruscan Cavius, he crosses the African continent and on reaching the sea carves a wonderful cameo, a symbol of friendship and loyalty.<

Jack Yeovil

Comeback Tour

Dark Future

<p>The King isn't dead! Elvis Presley might not be a Colonel in the US Army anymore, but he's got a reputation as being one of the toughest independent Sanctioned Ops in the South. Yet, can he prevent the world being destroyed (further) while fighting off the KKK, swamp mutants and voodoo priests?</p><

Jack Yeovil

Demon Download

Dark Future

<p>The earth is ravaged by catastrophic climactic changes. Society is marked by a resurgence of tribalism. The world's economies, civilizations, and even the laws of nature are on the brink of collapse. Introducing Sister Chantal Juillerat, papal agent extraordinary. Her nubile, cat-suited form belies the lethal assassin concealed within. And now the beautiful cyber-exorcist faces her greatest challenge, from within his frotress-temple, the immortal Nguyen Seth plots the apocalyptic climax to a conspiracy older than the human race.</p><

Jack Yeovil

Krokodil Tears

Dark Future

<p>Krokodil is an arch assassin who is also possessed by a demon. Many people want her dead because she interferes with corporate plans. So much so that the powers that be feel the need to send three hit men to hunt her down ― one of which is another demon. What's a girl and demon host supposed to do to earn a living?</p><

Jack Yeovil

Route 666

Dark Future

<p>Introducing Elder Seth, a modest and holy man. Not only is he the head of the Josephite Church but the President of the United States has just gifted him the entire state of Utah. Oh, and secretly he wants to open up a rift in space and time allowing daemons to pour through and consume the souls of every living thing on Earth.</p><

Jin Yong

Sword Of The Yueh Maiden

This is the only short story wrote by Jin Yong. Because of its short length, you can't really see Jin Yong's full talent at story-telling. However, this translation can give you some idea of what a martial arts story is like. My clumsy translation can't really do the original justice, but I hope I have stirred your interest enough that you will go out there and find out more about Chinese culture, history and legend. The process of finding out will not be easy, but I assure you, what you will find will never be dull.<

Jin Yong

The Book and The Sword

<p>In the Book and Sword, Louis Cha revives the legend about the great eighteenth-century Manchu Emperor Qianlong which claims that he was in fact not a Manchu but a Han Chinese as a result of a "baby swap." The novel is panoramic in scope and includes the fantastical elements for which Cha is well-known: secret societies, kungfu masters, a lost desert city guarded by wolf packs, and the mysterious Fragrant Princess.</p><p>***</p><p>Like the martial art heroes that he writes about, Louis Cha is a legend in his own time. Better known to his Chinese fans by his pen name of Jin Yong, Cha is the unrivaled giant of the modern martial arts (wuxia) genre. His novels were initially written for serialization in his own Ming Pao newspaper, which was published in Hong Kong. However, they became so popular that they were reprinted in Chinese newspapers around the world. His novels, which total fourteen, were subsequently published in book form. His accomplishment was magnified by the fact that during this time Mainland China was a literary desert because Communist rigidity only allowed publication of titles that conformed to socialist realism, i.e, it had to help build socialist ideals. Definitely, no room for escapist kung fu adventures there.</p><p>Alas, in spite of his stature, his works were only accessible to Chinese readers. Although the novels were initially written between 1955 and 1972, it was not until 1997 that the English translation of "The Deer and the Cauldron" was published by Oxford University Press (and that was only the first volume of three!). Although that translation of Cha's last and, many argue, his best novel was excellent, it still left something to be desired because "The Deer and the Cauldron" was not representative of the genre. Therefore, it is with great excitement that we awaited the publication of the "The Book and the Sword", Cha's first novel earlier this year. The novel was initially translated and published on the web by Graham Earnshaw in 2001 but it was picked up by Oxford University Press in 2003 and edited by Rachel May and John Minford. Mindford was the translator for "The Deer and the Cauldron". The book finally became available earlier this year.</p><p>"The Book and the Sword" takes place during the reign of Emperor Qian Long (1735-1795) of the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty had been founded by the Manchus almost 100 years earlier. By this time the Manchu rulers, whose homeland was in the north east of present day China, had been thoroughly sinicised. Qian Long himself was a great patron and practitioner of Chinese culture. Nevertheless, there were still resistance groups formed by the Han majority. The story follows one of these secret societies, the Red Flower Society, whose members are determined to overthrow the Qing. The members of the society are a colorful bunch of characters, most of whom are men but they also include several women in their ranks (the woman are all beautiful and deadly, of course). The members come from a cross section of the society but have been brought together by their wilingness to risk life and limb to protect the weak and fight for justice. The newly elected leader of the society, Helmsman Chen, is an unlikely hero whose manners and knowledge reveal a priviledged upbringing as the son of a former prime minister. We join the group as they repeatedly fail to free one of their own, Rolling Thunder Wen, who is being escorted to the capital under heavy guard. Rolling Thunder, you see, happens to know about a deadly secret: that the emperor was actually born to a Han family but swapped with a Manchu baby girl. Helmsman Chen discovers this secret himself soon enough and hopes to convince the emperor himself to evict the Manchus. What Chen doesn't know, however, is that the origin of the emperor is related to his own selection as the leader of the Red Flower Society. Much of the action actually takes place in the western border of China in present day Xinjiang, home of the Uighurs, whom Helmsman Chen befriends and helps on various occasions. Since Qian Long was in the process of bringing the Uighur land under his empire, the Uighurs and Chen had a common enemy in the emperor. It is through these relationships with the Uighurs that Chen encounters the book and sword of the title. Although these two items are not directly related to his quest for the Manchu overthrow, they do lead him to two beautiful Uighur sisters and later painful choices between love for a woman and love for country.</p><p>Those who have never read a wuxia novel are in for a surprise. Although frequent fight scenes featuring incredible acrobatics, swordmanship, and good old kung fu skills are present as expected, they are really not the most important part of the story. In fact, the book is very much like a typical Hong Kong movie where the movie director has never bothered to decide whether the movie is a comedy or drama, a kung fu spectacular or a tender love story, an uplifting message-filled narrative or horror movie. It is simply all of that and it switches between them at great speed. In this case, "The Book and the Sword" features several romantic pairings between leading characters. A theme central to all wuxia novels, that of loyalty, is tightly woven into the novel. Not just loyalty to the cause but also to the group and to one's kung fu master. The plot moves a mile a minute across various locales throughout China and spends quite a bit of time in the desert of Xinjiang, a area featured quite prominently in the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" movies. Louis Cha clearly is a student of Chinese history and has interwoven several real life personalities of the time, including the legendary Fragrant Princess, an Uighur girl so enchantingly beautiful that she naturally smelled like flowers. The core of plot itself, that Qian Long was a Han Chinese, is a well-known but unsubstantiated rumor. I only wish that Cha had spent more time describing Qian Long's own struggle with his new found identity. At it is, he seems to be too eager to sweep it under the rug, which seems incongruous with the historical fact that he became a great emperor admired by all Chinese. In contrast, Cha presents Emperor Kang Xi (Qian Long's grandfather) in a more positive light in "The Deer and the Cauldron".</p><p>In summary, we strongly recommend "The Book and the Sword" to all readers. The book is about 500 pages long which is much more accessible than the three-volume "The Deer and the Cauldron". The long wait has not been in vain. Now if they would just hurry up and finish translating the other twelve novels. In my lifetime.</p><

Jocho Yamamoto

Hagakure (Hojas ocultas)

Kerry Young

Pao

I was just a boy when I come to Jamaica. Kingston, 1938. Fourteen-year-old Yang Pao steps off the ship from China with his mother and brother, after his father has died fighting for the revolution. They are to live with Zhang, the 'godfather' of Chinatown, who mesmerises Pao with stories of glorious Chinese socialism on one hand, and the reality of his protection business on the other. When Pao takes over the family's affairs he becomes a powerful man. He sets his sights on marrying well, but when Gloria Campbell, a black prostitute, comes to him for help he is drawn to her beauty and strength. They begin a relationship that continues even after Pao marries Fay Wong, the 'acceptable' but headstrong daughter of a wealthy Chinese merchant. As the political violence escalates in the 1960s the lines between Pao's socialist ideals and private ambitions become blurred. Jamaica is transforming, the tides of change are rising, and the one-time boss of Chinatown finds himself cast adrift. Richly imagined and utterly captivating, Pao is a dazzling tale of race, class and colour, love and ambition, and a country at a historical crossroads.<

Kirył Yeskov

Ostatni władca pierścienia

Nowe, odkrywcze spojrzenie na historię Śródziemia. Wojna o Pierścień wybucha z powodów ekonomicznych i ekologicznych. Mordor buduje cywilizację technologiczną, wynajduje proch, buduje huty i fabryki, ale ma kłopoty z żywnością, bo to kraina jałowa pod względem rolniczym. Elfy, ludzie z Gondoru zawiązują antymordorską koalicję, która ma na celu „Ostaeczne rozwiązanie kwestii mordorskiej”, zgodnie z planem Gandalfa. Koalicja obawia się wzrostu potęgi Mordoru dzięki zdobyczom techniki i wskutek kilku sprytnych prowokacji doprowadza do wojny. Rozpoczyna się krwawa rozgrywka tajnych służb elfów i Mordoru o pozyskanie potężnych sojuszników…<

Li Yu

The Carnal Prayer Mat (Rou Putuan)

This classic fable recounts the adventures of a brilliant young student who devotes himself to a life of pure eroticism.<

Lin Yutang

La Importancia De Vivir

En las páginas que siguen presento el punto de vista chino, porque no puedo remediarlo. Sólo me interesa presentar un criterio de la vida y de las cosas como lo han visto los mejores espíritus chinos, y como lo han expresado en su sabiduría popular y en su literatura. La importancia de vivir condensa una filosofía risueña y tolerante que, en su trasplante de la China milenaria al campo cultural occidental, procura maravillosos estímulos en el arte de vivir.- La importancia de vivir, en tanto compendio de la filosofía que propone Lin Yutang, desentraña el sentido de la vida y nos permite comprender cuánto podemos obtener del medio en el que nos desenvolvemos, cualesquiera que fuesen nuestras circunstancias. Si sabemos armonizar nuestros instintos e impulsos, nos dice el autor, podemos hacer que el cielo y tierra se entiendan dentro de nosotros y obtener de la vida frutos insospechados. Se trata de una filosofía risueña y tolerante que, en su transplante de la China milenaria al campo cultural occidental, adquiere nueva lozanía y procura maravillosos estímulos en el arte de vivir<

Mark Young

Off the grid

Gerrit O'Rourke

Nancy Yi-Fan

Swordbird

<p>From Publishers Weekly</p><p>Yi Fan's tightly woven story delivers a manifest message promoting peace and freedom. Starring woodland bird characters, the saga pits the tyrannical hawk Turnatt, captor of "slavebirds" whom he shackles and puts to work building his fortress, against the cardinals and blue jays. Though once friendly, these two benign flocks are now at war: Turnatt's soldiers have stolen eggs and food from each flock (the hawk eats a purloined egg daily, believing this will "keep death away"), and have led each camp to believe the other is responsible for the thefts. One of the slavebirds, a robin named Miltin, escapes to tell Aska, a brave young jay, about Turnatt's evil doings and his plan to enslave all the local woodbirds. Blue jays and cardinals join forces to vanquish the despot, a mission that entails several diverting twists, including a search for the necessary elements to summon the Swordbird, the "mystical white bird, the son of the Great Spirit." The author occasionally relieves the tale's ample tension with snippets of humor. While feasting with a traveling troupe of winged thespians, for instance, the cardinals and blue jays drive away Turnatt's marauding forces by bombarding them with bean soup and raspberry pies. Experienced readers will recognize the familiar allegory here, but the book will likely appeal to Redwall fans, and this young writer is worth watching.</p><p>From School Library Journal</p><p>Grade 4-6-The Stone-Run Country is in peril. The blue jays' Bluewingle tribe and their former friends, the cardinals of the Sunrise tribe, have gone to war. Each side believes the other to have stolen its food and eggs, little suspecting the malicious hawk, Turnatt, along with his hoard of crows and ravens. Now he is intent on forcing all of the local woodbirds to work on his magnificent fortress, and it's up to a variety of brave avians to upset the villain's plans. Their only hope lies in summoning the great warrior, Swordbird, to assist them in their time of need. Fan wrote the book when she was 11 as a response to a world at war; it goes without saying that she is very talented. However, the book essentially reuses old tropes in a new setting, making the plot, pacing, and characters more than a little predictable and, for all of its charms, the story is overly familiar. Dialogue runs to the clunky with lines like, "I'll get you, me and my crew will" and "You'll pay for that, scalawag!" The greatest credit should be given to the illustrator, who took the author's imagery and made it believable as well as attractive.</p><

Nathan L Yocum

The Zona

Welcome to the Arizona Reformed Theocracy, otherwise called . Here the Church rules with power absolute. The laws are simple: all sin is punished swiftly. Preachers enforce the Church’s words like old West lawmen. But what happens when a Preacher refuses to kill? What happens when men of honor take a stand against their rulers?<

Nicole Young

Kill Me If You Can

A Patricia Amble Mystery

Patricia Amble might be down, but she's not dead--yet. Tish has left the Detroit suburbs for her next renovation project: an old log cabin in Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula. And the fun part—it's the same cabin where she spent her childhood summers. The fresh air and solitude are just what she needs after her flight from romance and her brushes with death. As Tish arrives at her new home, her hope for peace and quiet is shattered when she finds a torn photo of her dead mother with the words "don't ask why" written across her face. Mysterious relatives, old rivalries, and a dangerous drug ring may make this twenty-six-year-old mystery more than she can handle. Tish must put together the pieces of her mother's death or risk losing everything—including her own life. Book 2 in the Patricia Amble Mystery series, Kill Me If You Can is a suspense-packed story of family secrets, long-distance romance, and renovations of the heart.<

Nicole Young

Kiss Me If You Dare

When readers last saw renovator Tish Amble she was running for her life, her boyfriend Brad left wounded and at the mercy of drug lords in northern Michigan. On Brad's advice, Tish heads for Del Gloria, California, to hide out with an old friend of his-professor Denton Braddock. Tish tries to start a normal life, enrolling in college and working on restoring a block of homes, but her past is catching up with her. Someone is sabotaging her work, and Brad hasn't called in months. Should she return to Michigan to find out what has happened? Or would a homecoming be more painful-and deadly-than she's ready for? Full of the fast-paced action and nail-biting suspense readers have come to expect from author Nicole Young, Kiss Me If You Dare is the thrilling conclusion to the Patricia Amble Mysteries.<

Nicole Young

Love Me If You Must

A Patricia Amble Mystery

A run-down Victorian to renovate, a past to leave behind--who has time for romance...or murder? Patricia Amble, Tish to her friends, has gotten her life together. She's renovating an old, rambling Victorian house in a small town outside of Detroit, and the fixer-upper should net her a big profit when she resells. Romance is right next door, with two attractive neighbors vying for her affection. But even their persistent attentions can't dispel the sense of unease Tish feels. Voices whisper out of nowhere . . . and something odd is going on in the basement. Soon, Tish begins to question her decision to buy the old house. When a dead body turns up her own dark secrets make her a prime suspect in the current chaos. And is either of her attractive neighbors really who he says he is? What is going on just under the surface of this sleepy small town?<

Maisey Yates

Urodzona księżniczka

Rick Yancey

Az ötödik hullám (I)

Rick Yancey

Al cincilea val

Al cincilea val

Rick Yancey

Marea nesfârşită

Al cincilea val

Rick Yancey

Ultima stea

Al cincilea val

David Yallop

Nincs megallas. sakalvadaszat

Darrell Young

Mastering the Nikon D810

Neil Young

To Feel the Music

Rendow Yee

Architectural Drawing

<p><b>The classic architectural drawing compendium--now in a richly updated edition</b><p>Today's most comprehensive compendium of architectural drawing types and methods, both hand drawn and computer generated, <i>Architectural Drawing: A Visual Compendium of Types and Methods</i> remains a one&#45;of&#45;a&#45;kind visual reference and an outstanding source of guidance and inspiration for students and professionals at every level.<p>This <i>Fourth Edition</i> has been thoroughly updated to reflect the growing influence of digital drawing. Features include:<ul><li>More than 1,500 drawings and photographs that demonstrate the various principles, methods, and types of architectural drawing<li>Examples by an impressive array of notable architects and firms, including Tadao Ando, Asymptote, Santiago Calatrava, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Arata Isozaki, Toyo Ito, Gudmundur Jonsson, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Ricardo Legorreta, Morphosis, Patkau...<

Trevor Yorke

The English Country House Explained

Galenorn Yasmine

Bone Magic

Galenorn Yasmine

Gravure d'argent

<div>50% FEES, 50% HUMAINES, 300% SEXY<div><br></div><div>Quand les soeurs D'Artigo vivaient en Outremonde, Menolly n'était pas une vampire, Camille était déjà un agent très spécial mais n'avait pas encore rencontré celui qui allait changer le cours de sa vie.</div><div>Voici l'histoire de son premier amour.</div><div><br></div><div>Retrouvez ou découvrez les soeurs de la lune, mi-humaines, mi-fées, et suivre Camille, la sorcière, dans une enquête trépidante et sensuelle.</div></div><

Robyn Young

Insurrection

<p>Le roi Alexandre III est assassiné et laisse le trône d'Ecosse sans héritier. Aussitôt, deux familles de la noblesse écossaise rivalisent pour sa succession, et mènent le pays au bord de la guerre fratricide. Ce que ces prétendants au trône ignorent, c'est qu'un troisième homme se prépare dans l'ombre. Un adversaire de taille, le roi d'Angleterre Edouard Ier en personne, appelé en médiateur. Lui qui a en partie soumis l'Irlande et le Pays de Galles rêve d'assujettir l'Ecosse. Depuis près de deux décennies, il ourdit un plan de conquête inspiré par une très ancienne prophétie censée transfigurer à jamais le visage de l'Angleterre : la prophétie de Merlin... Mais le destin semble en avoir décidé autrement. Au coeur de ces guerres intestines, un jeune noble va s'élever pour défier le plus grand roi d'Angleterre. Son nom est Robert Bruce. Et son histoire commence dans Insurrection.</p><

Kawabata Yasunari

Le grondement de la montagne

<div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ogata Shingo, le personnage central de ce roman se présente comme un vieillard, un notable. Sous des apparences rangées, c'est un homme sensitif inquiet, que dévore une vie intérieure tumultueuse : songes et réminiscences, prémonitions et terreurs l'absorbent plus que le monde extérieur dont il se détache, sauf pour trouver une consolation dans ses splendeurs fugitives. Poussé par l'espoir, sans doute vain, de secourir une belle-fille trop attachante, blanche créature que la vie doit broyer, il s'avance à tâtons à la découverte des siens. Sous la surface plate de la vie de famille, chacun, solitaire, vit son drame et se débat contre l'amour et la mort, contre la mort surtout, qui sera le thème obsédant de ces méditations poétiques.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yasunari Kawabata sait jouer de façon parfaite avec un rythme lent, dépayser les lecteurs en les entraînant vers un monde où la quotidienneté sert de support à des intuitions fulgurantes, et qui nous fait sentir, à nous lecteurs occidentaux, la profondeur et les beautés de l'éternel Japon.</div></div><

Kawabata Yasunari

Le lac

Histoire d'une obsession, Le Lac retrace la quête d'une perfection irréalisable, d'une beauté hors de portée. Sans foyer, exclu de toute douceur humaine, seul avec son poids de péchés sur le coeur, Gimpei Momoï ne peut résister à la soif inextinguible qui le pousse, au long des rues, à s'attacher aux pas de belles inconnues, à les admirer de loin tandis qu'elles avancent, magnifiques et inaccessibles - car leur beauté n'est pas de ce monde mais participe d'un rêve. La réalité, symbolisée par ses propres pieds grotesquement difformes, poursuit Gimpei en tous lieux. Et c'est le caractère inconciliable de ces deux univers qui explique la texture déshumanisée, ambiguë, furtive de l'érotisme dont cette oeuvre est empreinte. Ce roman ne s'inscrit dans aucune forme traditionnelle. C'est une sorte de « happening », et en tout cas l'un des livres les plus modernes de conception et d'allure du grand Kawabata. De même que l'intérêt du héros peut, à tout moment, être éveillé par une inconnue croisée dans la rue, de même ici le passé surgit brutalement dans le présent, ou bien l'hallucination pulvérise le souvenir, ou encore la réalité crue jaillit lorsque le voile du songe et des fantasmes se déchire. Ceux qui, à la lecture de ses ouvrages précédents, imaginaient que tout n'était que délicatesse et demi-teintes chez l'auteur de Pays de neige et de La Danseuse d'Izu, seront sans doute surpris par la sensualité aiguë de certaines scènes et parle ton cruel du livre. Le Lac apparaît comme si singulier, si inhabituel, qu'il illumine d'un jour tout à fait nouveau l'ensemble de l'oeuvre de Yasunari Kawabata.<

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