Overview / 简介: |
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.
According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha's blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist's life is ruined as well -- until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.
This timeless fable has been a classic since its first publication in 1930, and this beautifully reillustrated edition brings the magic and wonder of the tale to a new generation of readers. |
Foreign Customer Review / 国外客户评价: |
This is a darling, quick read--timeless in its appeal to cat lovers! The Western literary world was "discovering" the Orient in the 1930's, so this story is set in Japan, where Buddhism flourishes. A poor painter with an artistic soul invites a calico cat, whose coloring is considered lucky, to join his threadbare household. Can a cat really pray to a statue? And get results? However it happens, the artist receives a commission from the high priest to paint a horizontal silk mural for the temple, which would result in instant recognition and the end of his poverty.
After each short chapter the housekeeper gives a little poem summarizing the action. I just wish they were in Haiku format, to reenforce the Japanese flavor.
During the artist's exhaustive mental preparation, we learn many
details about the life of Buddha (but gently, not in a preachy style), as the artist ponders which animals he will include in his mural. Good Fortune is his silent partner in the creation process, but she seems sad that he refuses to include a cat. Does the artist dare risk professional failure by acknowledging his debt to this dainty feline? Will she reallly go to Heaven? I wish I had discovered this gem decades earlier! A delightful story for readers of all ages. |
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