November 25th marks the date of Mishima’s death fifty years ago. See these articles: The Importance of Being Mishima Yukio — Yukio Mishima’s enduring, unexpected influence — Yukio Mishima’s dark fantasies of imperial Japan — Mishima in the World: 50 Years Later — Mishima: Historical Visionary
By one-thirty the cross was almost finished. It lacked only the little gold leaf letters that spelled GOD AND COMMERCE which Ignatius had ready to apply across the bottom of the cross . . . “Now to the filing,” Ignatius said busily. “Then off to the factory. I cannot tolerate social injustice.” . . . Ignatius went behind the filing cabinets, picked up the accumulated and unfiled material, and threw it in the wastebasket.
He was four workers in one. In Mr. Reilly’s competent hands, the filing seemed to disappear. He was also kind to Miss Trixie; there was hardly any friction in the office. Mr. Gonzalez was touched by what he had seen the previous afternoon – Mr. Reilly on his knees changing Miss Trixie’s socks. Mr. Reilly was all heart. Of course, he was part valve, too. But the constant conversation about the valve could be accepted. It was the only drawback.
Marking this day with the superb artwork of Eric Ravilious.
Social note: I have sought escape in the Prytania on more than one occasion, pulled by the attractions of some technicolored horrors, filmed abortions that were offenses against any criteria of taste and decency, reels and reels of perversion and blasphemy that stunned my disbelieving eyes, that shocked my virginal mind, and sealed my valve.
Complete freedom consists of being able to do what you like, provided you also do something you like less. True slavery is being condemned to abstinence: Tantalus, not Hercules.
