The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

Interesting Facts

• The book is based on real events related to the arson of the famous Golden Pavilion in Kyoto in 1950.
• The main character, Mizoguchi, suffers from a stutter, symbolizing his internal conflicts and inability to express his feelings.
• Yukio Mishima uses the Golden Pavilion as a symbol of ideal beauty, which becomes an obsession for the protagonist.
• The novel explores themes of destruction and creation, showing how the pursuit of an ideal can lead to catastrophic consequences.
• The work touches on philosophical questions about the nature of beauty and its impact on the human psyche.