English language
Published 2008
Wonderful Fool
by Shusaku Endo
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Wonderful Fool (おバカさん, Obaka-san) is a novel by the Japanese author Shusaku Endō, originally serialized in the newspaper Asahi Shimbun in 1959. The main character, Gaston Bonaparte (a relative to the famous Napoleon Bonaparte), arrives at the Yokohama seaport to visit an old pen friend of his living in Tokyo. Gaston is a wise fool, an incredibly kind, innocent and naïve, which causes different people to like him, help him, or take advantage of him. He never loses faith in humanity, however, and manages to make a deep impression on the most hardhearted persons. Beneath the light humor of the story are many clear references both to Endo's life story and his Christian beliefs.
Wonderful Fool (おバカさん, Obaka-san) is a novel by the Japanese author Shusaku Endō, originally serialized in the newspaper Asahi Shimbun in 1959. The main character, Gaston Bonaparte (a relative to the famous Napoleon Bonaparte), arrives at the Yokohama seaport to visit an old pen friend of his living in Tokyo. Gaston is a wise fool, an incredibly kind, innocent and naïve, which causes different people to like him, help him, or take advantage of him. He never loses faith in humanity, however, and manages to make a deep impression on the most hardhearted persons. Beneath the light humor of the story are many clear references both to Endo's life story and his Christian beliefs.