Japan

Abstract

The essays contained within the text are indeed highly philosophical; readers familiar with Abe’s plays will find numerous parallels between the themes of his dramatic works and the ideas contained within the essays. They delve deep into areas of literary and political theory. The first essay, “Poetry and Poets (Consciousness and the Unconscious)” (Shi to shijin [Ishiki to muishiki], 1944) posits a central intellectual concern for Abe (and one that is subsequently explored in many of the essays), namely the question of individual freedom versus the homogenizing attempts of the modern world. Taking on ontological questions such as “Man’s Being” (p. 9) and “What is Truth?” (p. 2), this essay is incredibly dense and difficult for those without a strong background in philosophy.