JAPANESE FEMINIST
THE STUBBORN FLOWER, by Oswald Wynd; Michael Joseph. English price, 9/6. HIS very competent novel about life in modern Japan avoids‘nearly all the clichés of the reporter’s book and creates its atmosphere through dialogue and delicate touches instead of through slabs of local colour." The narrator, an American journalist named Prenter, tells with a ‘crisp irony of the’ télations between himself, his cousifi Irma, a mission teecher, George Merion, a somewhat stuffy Englishman whom Irma marties, and Setsue, a Japanese girl by whom Merion has had a child. Setsue, "the stubborn flower," determined to live an independent life, becomes a successful journalist and a champion of women’s rights. The story’ opens in the Yokohama earthquake of 1923 and closes in 1945. —
Though .the changing’ political scene is suggested, thé main’ émphagis fs 6n the personal drama, Irma and. George are conventional types, but Setsue is a credible and engaging character, presented with warm sympathy. The minor characters are especially good, notably the much-married, plain-spoken "Baroness" von Heisen. Mr. Wynd has a striking gift for recording conversations, which helps to make this a smoothly readable and convincing novel, noteworthy for its restraint and mature feeling.
J.C.
R.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19500210.2.31.6
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 555, 10 February 1950, Page 17
Word count
Tapeke kupu
198JAPANESE FEMINIST New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 555, 10 February 1950, Page 17
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in