'Interplanetary, quite extraordinary . . . awash with dark humour and scenes of intense beauty' Financial Times
'One of the greatest avant-garde Japanese writers of the twentieth century' New Yorker
Beautiful Star is a 1962 tale of family, love, nuclear war and UFOs, and was considered by Mishima to be one of his very best books.
Translated into English for the first time, this atmospheric black comedy tells the story of the Osugi family, who come to the sudden realization that each of them hails from a different planet: Father from Mars, mother from Jupiter, son from Mercury and daughter from Venus. This extra-terrestrial knowledge brings them closer together, and convinces them that they have a mission: to find others of their kind, and save humanity from the imminent threat of the atomic bomb...
Mishima is the Japanese Hemingway ― Life Magazine
Strikingly different... Stephen Dodd's translation captures Mishima's dark humour, succinct style and dry wit -- Vanora Bennett ― The Times Literary Supplement
A brilliant black comedy following the Osugi family, who come to the understanding that they are each from a different planet. This new knowledge strengthens their bond while solidifying a mission: to seek others of their kind and save humanity from the looming threat of the atomic bomb. This is an insightful, moving read. Mishima deserves a wider readership -- Irenosen Okojie ― The i
Set in the early 1960s, this bonkers story of aliens trying to save mankind from nuclear war is told from the perspective of one family, all of whom come from a different planet. It's a biting social satire that's utterly transporting ― Sunday Times Best Books for Summer 2023
Ordinary people harbour the grandest (and most terrible) thoughts in a cosmological fable as disconcerting as it is funny: behind the simplest actions lie visions of worlds in collision -- Simon Ings ― The Times
The Oscar Wilde of Japan ... one of Japan's great novelists ... his subtlety, warmth and wit shine through ― Telegraph
A mixture of humour, high literary seriousness and flying saucers ... remarkable -- Sam Leith ― Spectator
A writer of immense energy and ability ― Time Out
One of the greatest avant-garde Japanese writers of the twentieth century ― New Yorker
Among Japan's most celebrated post-war authors ― Little White Lies
Interplanetary, quite extraordinary ... a fusion of sci-fi and social satire with great pathos, awash with dark humour and scenes of intense beauty ... Mishima blends the sublime and ridiculous in provocative and surprising ways ... a fresh and limpid translation -- Bryan Karetnyk ― Financial Times
Moves from vividly described scenes of ordinary human life and the beauties of the natural world to arguments about human nature and whether peace is possible this side of death -- Lisa Tuttle ― Guardian Best Recent Science Fiction
Its humour may be the book's most brilliant trait ... intense and earnest, the novel contains plenty of Mishima's spectacular writing ... an impressive accomplishment by Dodd in conveying a sense of import, sophistication and mastery of prose -- Eric Margolis ― Japan Times
A delightfully strange, absorbing work. Full of humour and insight. Highly recommended -- Irenosen Okojie
The wunderkind of the Japanese literary world ... an extraordinary literary talent ― The Times Literary Supplement
