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Deutsches Institut für Japanstudien
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December 6, 2024

New book chapter by Nicole M. Mueller studies reception of Thomas Mann in Japan

© Brill

In her book chapter “Thomas Mann bei Mishima Yukio, Kita Morio und Tsuji Kunio: Verehrungspathos und Neuverortung als Vorbedingungen einer produktiven kulturüberschreitenden Rezeption” (in German), DIJ researcher Nicole M. Mueller sheds new light on the reception of Thomas Mann’s literary works by the Japanese authors Mishima Yukio, Kita Morio, and Tsuji Kunio. The idealization of Mann had been an essential element of Japan’s cultural modernization and westernization in the first decades of the 20th century, making him one of the larger-than-life figureheads of Japan’s prewar academic elite. Mishima and his contemporaries developed novel modes of reception based on a critical analysis of Mann’s work. Nicole’s chapter examines the extent to which Mishima’s, Kita’s, and Tsuji’s reception of Mann was conditioned by historical context and what characteristics make cross-cultural literary reception “productive”. The chapter is published in the edited volume Thomas Mann produktiv rezipiert. Zum Fortleben von Werk und Autor (Brill/Fink 2025).