Night Boat - Alan Spence

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Résumé :
At the foot of Mount Fuji amidst curls of incense smoke Iwajiro chants the Tenjin Sutra, an act of devotion learned from his mother. On the side of the same mountain, twenty years on, he will sit in perfect stillness as the summit erupts. This man will become Hakuin, one of the greatest teachers in the history of Zen. This book tells his story.

Biographie:
Alan Spence is an award-winning Scottish poet, playwright, novelist and short story writer. Awards include the Glenfiddich Award, The People's Prize, Macallan Short Story Prize and McVitie Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year. He is Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Aberdeen where he founded the annual WORD Festival in 1999 and was its Artistic Director for 12 years. With his wife he runs the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre in Edinburgh.

* A brave, ambitious and wonderfully insightful book -- KEVIN MacNEIL, author of THE STORNAWAY WAY * If you've ever wondered about the sound of one hand clapping, this is the novel for you. If you haven't, there's still plenty to enjoy in the poetic writing, rich in historical details, and the drama of the battle between a man's inner and outer lives -- Kate Saunders The Times * A sympathetic, thoughtful chronicle of how we grow and change, how we deal with what makes us suffer, and how our creativity can play in ... Spence's elegant prose, subtle wit and clear passion for his subject make it a rewarding undertaking -- Hannah McGill Scotsman * One of Scotland's most accomplished literary talents -- JOHN BURNSIDE The Times * Spence is a visionary -- ALI SMITH * Old Hakuin would be beating his drum! -- NORMAN WADDELL * Not merely an engaging and vivid historical novel, but also a meditative work of art that is as finely honed as a samurai's sword -- John Burnside The Times, on THE PURE LAND * Rattles along, grounded in historical research and filled with emotional truths Daily Mail on THE PURE LAND * Astonishing in its breadth, depth and ambition ... a beautifully written modern epic Irish Independent on THE PURE LAND * There are lush descriptions of the Japanese countryside and Mount Fuji: changeless, ever changing, always different, always the same. And interspersed throughout are the elegant poems of Hakuin (such as the haiku that inspired his name, which means hidden-in-whiteness: Miss Fuji, / Cast aside your hazy robe / And show me your snowy skin). Graceful yet sparse, they add texture to this intriguing novel -- Beth Jones Telegraph