Inoue Yasushi’s Reception of Valéry’s "Poésie Pure" During the 1930s

Abstract

Inoue Yasushi (1907-91) is one of the most highly acclaimed Japanese writers of the twentieth century who wrote "pure" literature (in contrast to popular literature). Primarily, he enjoyed the fame of a first rate novelist; but behind this image he was also a poet. His literary accomplishments encompassed modern novels, historical novels, and books about western China. His involvement with poetry, the genre which he explored first, lasted more than sixty years, until he died from cancer. For him, poetry was often connected to the rich field of narrative, and the profound meaning of the mythical structure of Japanese monogatari (narrative) deeply affected his own poetic prose. In this paper, I would like to examine his work as written by a poet and explore the importance of Paul Valéry's idea of "poésie pure" as the origin and influence of his diction and poetic method. Valéry's influence has previously been neglected. I want to clarify this subject by paying special attention to early phases of Inoue's career.