One of Mishima's earliest novels, written when he was 24, "Confessions of a Mask 仮面の告白" is a so-called watakushi-shousetsu 私小説, in which the author makes real-life confessions in the form of a fiction. These works often blur the boundaries between fiction and reality and it is a fascinating genre in Japanese literature. It was the first Mishima work that I read and eventually I had to revisit it after going through his later works. It is now hailed as an LBGTQ+ classic. Indeed, on first read, it is an acute psycho-analysis on a youth's realisation and acceptance of his homosexuality, depicting in great detail the thought process as well as various physical manifestations. There is always too much to unpack from the excessively verbose prose. Re-reading it at the end, one marvels at how prophetic it is on the author's life. All the features of Mishima's oeuvre are here right at the beginning - ancient Greek aesthetics, infatuation towards physical and conceptual beauty, extreme political views, ultra-conservative patriotism, thirst of blood and death, religious obsession with bushidou 武士道 and the ritual of seppuku 切腹 - either hinted at or fleshed out completely. Whether or not one agrees with any of these sentiments, it is immediately obvious that we are looking at a highly complex and conflicted individual who requires some serious attention from readers looking for an intellectual challenge. More earth-shattering works are to come, but this early short fiction has stood the test of time and deservedly holds a special place in all of literature.
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