Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) was a prolific and controversial writer. His early work focused on eroticism and sexuality, especially homosexual desire and its social implications. In his later writings, he dealt with heterosexual desire and relationships and with political-social problems. In the 1960s, he showed a strong interest in the imperial and warrior traditions of Japan. “Voices of the Heroic Spirits” is a product of this, the last period of his life. He performed a semi-public ritual suicide in 1970 with a member of his “private army,” the Shield Society.
