Yukiguni (1948; tr. Snow Country, 1956) was author and Nobel Prize laureate Kawabata Yasunari’s first full-length novel. Originally published in serial form over 12 years’ time and across five literary journals, the work is set in the mountain spa resort of Yuzawa, which receives heavy snowfall each winter. The story describes a failing love affair between a man from Tokyo and a geisha who lives in the remote town. The novel portrays the lackluster career of a country geisha and the effects of modernization on traditional Japanese arts. The work has been twice adapted for film.
See also WOMEN IN LITERATURE.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.