Very nice work, another Catholic writer (that is, one whose concerns are explicitly centered on his faith) who wins my admiration by his craft and sensitivity, even if I don't share his convictions.

That said, I'm not likely to seek out more. The English Catholic writers I admire are also part of a culture I share - like a literary family, even if the members don't hold the same views on fundamental questions. Endo's world is too far away from mine somehow. That's an admission, not a criticism. ( )

After two months of reading straight nonfiction, my imagination was drying up. What better than a book of short stories to get it running again? Endo's stories focus around connection: lacking it, seeking it, trying to run away from it. My favorites were "A Case of Isobe," about a man who finds connection with his longtime wife only after her death; and "Japanese in Warsaw," about a Japanese tourist in Poland who finds something he did not expect:

"For a long while Imamiya remembered the weary figure of that missionary, the sad smile that had flashed from behind his round glasses, and the hollow-cheeked face. He remembered the image, but he had no other impressions and virtually no other recollections of the foreigners." (42)

Another story, "Unzen," is about a Japanese tourist visiting the sites of the Japanese Christian martyrs of the 1700s and lamenting his own cowardice and inability to be a martyr. If martyrs are gloried in God's eyes, where does that leave those who lack courage and conviction? The story refers to the events and stories of Endo's most famous novel [Silence].

Endo writes in a very spare style, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks themselves. Christianity pops up frequently in these stories. Though Endo is not what you'd call an "evangelistic" author, his stories evoke for me the horror of life without connection to another human being. His characters come off as sad in their self-imposed solipsism. But being the "Japanese Graham Greene," Endo is not afraid to be realistic about the foibles of his characters. That's his strength.

A small book of only 84 pages, Five by Endo is a collection of 5 short stories that explore, among others, Christianity, death and history.

The first short story is Unzen, which follows Suguro, an author, as he travels to visit the site where Christians were tortured and executed in 17th century Japan. As he looks around, he is also making a spiritual journey, trying to identify his own beliefs.

Next is A Fifty-year-old Man, a story about how Chiba faces life, and how he deals with news that his brother and his dog, both so dear to him, are at the brink of death.

Japanese in Warsaw follows a group of Japanese tourists as they spend a few days in Warsaw. There, they meet a couple of people who mention Kolbe, a Christian Father most revered by the Polish. Kolbe's story or sacrifice and love is then related to them.

The Box is I think one of the longer stories in this collection. It tells of a person who found an antique box containing a copy of the Bible, and old photo album and some odd postcards. Following the tracks left by the postcards, the narrator meets an old man who once knew the lady to whom the box belonged. What follows is the story of the lady, and what happened to her during the war.

Last is The Case of Isobe, which apparently is the first chapter to Endo’s other novel, Deep River. Isobe’s wife has been diagnosed with cancer, and is told that she has only at most 3-4 months left to live. Right before she died, she whispered to her husband, telling him to look for her, as she is sure that she will be reborn. Isobe is hardly convinced, but soon after, he comes across a study on past lives. ( )

I really wish this would have been called Twenty-eight by Endo but then the title wouldn't have appeared so zen and balanced as Five by Endo. I loved this small collection of shorts... melancholy, introspective, and so very refreshing. Nearly all of the stories dealt with old age, death, and faith... or a struggle with one's faith.

Unzen touched on the torture and martyrdom of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. A Fifty-year-old Man introduces a Mr Chiba who while taking ballroom dancing to keep his spirit young and legs limber faces the death of his mongrel dog and older brother (my favorite in the collection). Japanese in Warsaw, one of the lighter and more humorous stories, still slams you with the power of faith and sacrifice. Retracing a story through old postcards found in an old wooden chest in the story called The Box reveals a mystery and surprise. And The Case of Isobe, the opening chapter of Endo's novel Deep River is a sad story of death and rebirth.

A truly great collection of stories I'd heartily recommend to everyone.

Haiku from the short story The Case of Isobe:

Not telling the truth
again today I went out
of the hospital

With a shudder, I
open my eyes and think of
life without my wife ( )