The Sea and Poison
The Sea and Poison
paperback | English
Published:
23 October, 2025
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Description
'An important book' Telegraph
Winner of the Akutagawa Prize
In 1950s Japan, Doctor Suguro practises medicine in a backwater still recovering from the war. Quiet and withdrawn, he lives tortured by his conscience and a horrific wartime memory: participating in the vivisection of an American airman, an experiment which led to his agonising death.
This spare, harrowing novel, based on real events, is a profound exploration of the pressures of conflict, the moral numbness of conformity, and the painful legacy of violence.
Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.
Translated by Michael Gallagher.
SHUSAKU ENDO (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Samurai, and his masterpiece Silence, all published by or forthcoming from Pushkin Press.
MICHAEL GALLAGHER (b. 1930) is a former Jesuit brother and teacher, who has translated several novels from Japanese, including work by Yukio Mishima, Sakyo Komatsu and Akiyuki Nosaka. His translation of Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1973.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781805332428 |
| ISBN10 | 1805332422 |
| Number Of Pages | 176 |
| Item Weight | 1000 g |
| Publisher / Reseller | Pushkin Press |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
'The Sea and Poison is a short novel of considerable power and distinction . . . its effect and its implications are haunting' - TLS
'Shusaku Endo has in this novel exposed a frailty which to some degree we all share' - Sunday Times
'This is an important book . . . but you will need a strong stomach for the graphic descriptions of operations, as blood flows and ribs crack' - Telegraph
'Analytical without being passionless, horrifying without brutality, structured without seeming contrived' - Irish Times
'A remarkable and distinguished novel about the nature of evil, guilt and conscience' - Scotsman
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
SHUSAKU ENDO (1923-1996) was one of the greatest novelists of postwar Japan. Baptised as a Roman Catholic as a child, his work explores the relationship between East and West from his unique perspective as a Japanese Christian. Endo won the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, and received an Order of Culture from the Japanese government. Among his other novels are Deep River, The Samurai, and his masterpiece Silence, all published by or forthcoming from Pushkin Press. MICHAEL GALLAGHER (b. 1930) is a former Jesuit brother and teacher, who has translated several novels from Japanese, including work by Yukio Mishima, Sakyo Komatsu and Akiyuki Nosaka. His translation of Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1973.