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Miyata, Teruaki; Ernst, Earle (Translator) : The Defeated

Earle Ernst?, 1948

Original typescript on beige paper with a metal fastener holding the pages. Decorative red stamps done in the style of traditional seals are printed on title page. 9" x 6 1/2." Seventy-four pages, complete. Pages are out of order but are complete; Pages 31-44 are placed between Pages 60 and 61. Pages are clean and intact overall but have age toning and edge wear. Covers and title page are browned and foxed. Metal fastener is a bit rusted. A Very Good copy. English translation of a play about postwar Japan, titled, "The Defeated" ("Omoide"). The original play was created by Teruaki Miyata. Miyata was associated with the Tsukiji Little Theatre of Tokyo, which was an epicenter of a revival in Japanese theater. Tsukiji Little Theatre had helped to usher in a new trend of more modern, nontraditional plays before being shut down due to government censorship. While fictional, The Defeated was likely inspired by actual events. This play takes an unflinching look at the hardships of everyday life for Japanese civilians following World War II. The main characters are Yusuke Nomura and Yuzuru Kobayashi, two veterans and friends who have just returned home from the war only to see the country in ruins. Interspersed between the story of Nomura and Kobayashi are a series of other anecdotes, an emotional tableaux showing Japanese people from all walks of life struggling to make a living. Excerpt from the Foreword: "The author of the play, Teruaki Miyata, was for a brief time associated with the Tsukiji Little Theatre before his conscription into the army. He began writing 'The Defeated' when he was released from the army after the surrender, and to some degree the play undoubtedly parallels his own experiences. His is the first and, to date, the most significant play dealing with postwar Japan; in its attempts to criticize the social conditions immediately following the surrender, the play shows a revival of the inquiring spirit which was characteristic o the Tsukiji Little Theatre. ... The English version of the play is a composite of the original script and a subsequent rewriting after the first performance. The translation is literal, except in those places where an exact translation would be obscure to a Western audience. Certain speeches have been included which, because of political necessity, were omitted from the Japanese production.". Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: No Binding

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