THE ORIGINALITY OF THE ARTISTIC AND AESTHETIC THINKING OF YASUNARI KAWABATA IN THE NOVELLA THE HOUSE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES

Abstract

The article analyzes the poetics of The House of the Sleeping Beauties, a novella by the Japanese writer and Nobel Prize laureate in literature Yasunari Kawabata. The distinctive feature of the work lies in its interweaving of traditional Japanese aesthetics with a modernist worldview. The central theme of the novella is existential in nature, revealed through the motif of loneliness among elderly men, which is closely tied to their taboo emotional experiences stemming from the gradual fading of sexual life and the onset of old age. The symbolic space of Kawabata's «house of the sleeping beauties» is woven from contrasting images of old men and very young girls, through which the author explores themes of aging, the transience of time, the decline of vital energy, and the longing for a lost or past life and its pleasures. The eternal antithesis of youth and old age is presented through a deeply philosophical and aesthetic lens, perceived from the point of view of the main character, the elderly Eguchi, whose inner world of emotions is portrayed with psychological subtlety and openness. Kawabata masterfully conveys Eguchi’s psychological discomfort, anxiety, memories, and stream of consciousness, keeping the reader in a state of suspense until the very last page. The article emphasizes that the existential issues related to loneliness, aging, and the emotional responses they evoke belong to the timeless concerns of humanity. These themes find expression in the works of writers from various nations, and thus a parallel is drawn between the existential experiences of Eguchi and the characters in the prose of contemporary Ukrainian writer from Slovakia, Ivan Yatskanyn. Another distinctive feature of the novella is its deep psychological insight, accentuated through elements of the Japanese aesthetic of yūgen – such as mystery, ambiguity, subtle suggestion, and contemplation. It is the contemplation of the beauty and aesthetic of the young female body that lends the work its erotic undertone. However, the novella’s eroticism lacks vulgarity, as its primary purpose is not to arouse sexual desire, but rather to evoke memories and feelings – hidden or long forgotten – from youth. The article concludes that The House of the Sleeping Beauties is a profound artistic work in which existential reflection, psychological depth, and subtle eroticism are intricately interwoven, creating an aesthetically rich, philosophical space filled with a sensual yet tragic image of life fading away.