{"product_id":"eclipse-a-novel","title":"Eclipse A Novel","description":"In the late fifteenth century, a young Dominican friar sets out on a journey from Paris to Florence in search of manuscripts of pre-Christian philosophy. Along the way, he encounters an ascetic alchemist in a small village. As the young man falls under the spell of the alchemist’s quest for enlightenment, a series of disasters—culminating in a total solar eclipse—strikes the village, with profound consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKeiichiro Hirano’s \u003ci\u003eEclipse\u003c\/i\u003e was a meteoric literary sensation when it first appeared in 1998. Its author, still an undergraduate, was hailed as a prodigy; the book received Japan’s most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, and became a bestseller. Set on the eve of the Renaissance in Europe, \u003ci\u003eEclipse\u003c\/i\u003e depicts a society that is on the surface vastly different from modern-day Japan. Yet its account of a challenge to dualistic binaries and ossified worldviews holds striking contemporary resonance and philosophical depth. Taking the form of a memoir, \u003ci\u003eEclipse\u003c\/i\u003e brings together an evocative portrayal of its historical setting, including the lore of medieval alchemy, with a rich literary lexicon, lush imagery, and psychological intricacy. This vivid translation offers Anglophone readers a vital work by one of Japan’s most distinctive voices.","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57197967507838,"sku":"NW9780231214919","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780231214919.jpg?v=1778531881","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/en-usa\/products\/eclipse-a-novel","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}