Silence (novel)
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| Author | Shūsaku Endō |
|---|---|
| Original title | Chinmoku |
| Translator | William Johnston |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Peter Owen (UK) / Taplinger Publishing Company (USA) |
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Publication date
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1966 |
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Published in English
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1969 |
| Media type | |
Silence (沈黙 Chinmoku?) is a 1966 novel of historical fiction by Japanese author Shūsaku Endō, published in English by Peter Owen Publishers. It is the story of a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan, who endures persecution in the time of Kakure Kirishitan ("Hidden Christians") that followed the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion. The recipient of the 1966 Tanizaki Prize, it has been called "Endo's supreme achievement" and "one of the twentieth century's finest novels". Written partly in the form of a letter by its central character, the theme of a silent God who accompanies a believer in adversity was greatly influenced by the Catholic Endō's experience of religious discrimination in Japan, racism in France, and a debilitating bout with tuberculosis.
The young Portuguese Jesuit Sebastião Rodrigues (based on the historical Italian figure Giuseppe Chiara) is sent to Japan to succor the local Church and investigate reports that his mentor, a Jesuit priest in Japan named Ferreira, based on Cristóvão Ferreira, has committed apostasy. Less than half of the book is the written journal of Rodrigues, while the other half of the book is written either in the third person, or in the letters of others associated with the narrative. The novel relates the trials of Christians and the increasing hardship suffered by Rodrigues.
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