Shusaku Endo

'One of the best historical novels by anyone, ever' David Mitchell'Japan's greatest twentieth-century author' Graham Greene'A masterpiece. There can be no higher praise' Daily TelegraphWith an introduction by Martin Scorsese.Jesuit priest Sebastian Rodrigues sets sail for Japan in 1640, full of idealistic fire. But the cold land he arrives in has no place for missionaries: the Tokugawa shogunate has banned Christianity, and believers face torture and execution. Living in hiding, leading worship in secret, Rodrigues begins to question the true meaning of compassion - and the limits of his own belief.This stunning work of historical fiction - introduced by Martin Scorsese, who adapted it into a film - is one of literature's deepest explorations of doubt, fellowship, and enduring faith.Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.Translated by William Johnston.Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Samurai and The Sea and Poison, all published by Pushkin Press.William Johnston (1925-2010) was born in Belfast. He entered the Jesuit priesthood and was sent to their mission in Japan in 1951. He would spend most of the rest of his life there, teaching English at Tokyo's Sophia University, writing on mysticism, and practising aspects of both Catholicism and Zen Buddhism.

From beloved Japanese author Shu—saku Endo—, a newly discovered novella and five short stories of love, grief, and maternal longing   Shu—saku Endo—, widely considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, is known for his historical novels, which masterfully probe the encounters between the cultures and religions of East and West from a Japanese Catholic perspective. A salient and curious theme in his work is the unique image of a maternal God, and a concomitant sense of loss and longing for maternal love.  Confronting the Shadows, the semiautobiographical novella discovered at the Endo— Museum in Nagasaki in 2020, is Endo—’s most personal work and the interpretive key to his entire oeuvre. It tells the story of Suguro, an aspiring novelist who was separated from his mother after his parents’ divorce. Desperate to understand the woman his mother was, he sets out to retrace her footsteps, only to find himself face to face with his own demons. Accompanying the novella are five stories, each disclosing the intricacies of the sacred feminine and the apprehensions and joys of familial love. Endo once again beams bright light into the hidden corners of the human heart in this remarkable new collection.