“The heart of a novelist is vast, with both airports and central train stations.”
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Born in Japan
- Novelist, playwright, critic, political activist
- He became a representative figure of postwar Japanese literature, and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. He pursued his own unique aesthetic with themes of beauty and death, and ultimately committed seppuku at a Self-Defense Forces garrison. His life, which combined literature with action, continues to have a strong influence today.
Japanese
「小説家の心は広大で、飛行場もあれば、中央停車場もある」
English
“The heart of a novelist is vast, with both airports and central train stations.”
Explanation
In this quote, Mishima uses the metaphor of a vast heart to describe the complexity and expansiveness of a novelist’s inner world. The airports and central train stations represent the variety of experiences and moods a novelist can encompass, much like these bustling transport hubs connect people and ideas from various places and directions. Mishima suggests that a novelist’s heart must be open and capable of containing multiple perspectives and experiences, as they need to observe and understand the full spectrum of human emotions and situations in order to create authentic and engaging stories. The image of airports and train stations also evokes the idea of movement, transitions, and connections, signifying that the novelist’s inner world is constantly in flux, full of possibilities, and never static.
Mishima’s quote reflects his broader views on the role of the novelist as both a creator and an observer of life. He believed that to write effectively, a novelist must possess a broad mind, capable of embracing contradictions and varied experiences. The airports and train stations symbolize the spaces where individuals and stories meet, just as a novelist must allow their mind to be a place where different ideas and emotions can intersect and evolve. This metaphor also speaks to the idea that a novelist’s creativity is not just about the stories they tell, but the space they create within themselves to explore and navigate human experience.
In a modern context, Mishima’s quote speaks to the fluid nature of creative work, especially in an age where writers are increasingly influenced by global connections and multicultural experiences. The vast heart of a novelist today may be shaped by not only personal experiences but also the cultural landscapes, technologies, and global narratives that surround them. As society becomes more interconnected, the idea that a novelist’s heart contains both airports and train stations resonates with the challenge modern writers face in embracing diversity and moving beyond narrow perspectives. Mishima’s metaphor suggests that to be a successful writer, one must remain open-minded, flexible, and willing to navigate the many layers of human experience, just as an airport or central station facilitates the meeting of many paths and journeys.
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