Because of the boyhood trauma of seeing his mother make love to another man in the presence of his dying father, Mizoguchi becomes a hopeless stutterer. Taunted by his schoolmates, he feels utterly alone until he becomes an acolyte at a famous temple in Kyoto. He quickly becomes obsessed with the beauty of the temple. Even when tempted by a friend into exploring the geisha district, he cannot escape its image. In the novel's soaring climax, he tries desperately to free himself from his fixation.
三岛由纪夫(1925-1970),日本作家。本名平冈公威,生于东京一个官僚家庭。1949年发表长篇小说《假面自白》,确立作家地位。1970年11月25日写完《丰饶之海》第四卷《天人五衰》后自裁。一生共创作40部中长篇小说、20部短篇小说及18部剧本。代表作品有《虚假的告白》、《潮骚》、《春雪》、《志贺寺上人之恋》、《金阁寺》等。
其前期作品唯美主义色彩较浓,后期作品表现出一种可怕的艺术倾斜和颠倒。