The dramatic climax ofThe Sea of Fertilitytetraology takes place in thelate 1960s.Honda, now an aged & wealthy man, discovers & adopts a sixteen-year-old orphan,Toru, as his heir, identifying him with the tragic protagonists of the three previous novels, each of whom died at the age of twenty.Hondaraises & educates the boy, yet watches him, waiting.The final installment of the masterful tetralogy,The Sea of Fertility, findsShigekuni Hondaan elderly wealthy man in the1960s, adopting a teenage orphan whom he is convinced is the reincarnation of his childhood friend. • ”One of the best final scenes in the history of the novel.”— David Mitchell,The New York Times Book ReviewHonda, now an aged & wealthy man, once more encounters a person he believes to be a reincarnation of his friend,Kiyoaki Matsugae—this time restored to life as a teenage orphan,Tōru. Adopting the boy as his heir,Hondaquickly finds thatTōruis a force to be reckoned with.The final novel of this celebrated tetralogyweaves together the dominant themes of the previous three novels in the series: the decay ofJapan’scourtly tradition; the essence & value ofBuddhistphilosophy & aesthetics; and, underlying all,Mishima’sapocalyptic vision of the modern era.°°°Edward George Seidenstickerwas born in Castle Rock, Colorado, in 1921. He translatedYasunari Kawabata'sworks as well asThe Makioka SistersbyJunichiro Tanizakiinto English.