Boj kod Cušime: Roman jedne japanske markize
On the eve of the Battle of Tsushima, the young Marquise Mitsouko is torn between her husband—the Japanese officer Yorisaka—and her feelings for the Englishman Fergan. This romantic drama unfolds against the backdrop of the Russo-Japanese War.
Boj kod Cušime (The Battle of Tsushima) is the Croatian title of the novel La Bataille by the French writer Claude Farrère, first published in 1909. The story is set in Japan in 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War and on the eve of the great naval Battle of Tsushima. Historical events provide the backdrop for an intimate tale of love, honor, loyalty, and the clash of cultures.
At the heart of the novel is the beautiful Japanese Marquise Mitsouko Yorisaka, wife of the naval officer Yorisaka Sadao. Her social circle brings together Japanese and European characters, including the French painter Jean-François Felze and the British naval officer Herbert Fergan. Mitsouko finds herself torn between marital loyalty and her feelings for Fergan; consequently, her personal drama intensifies as the decisive naval clash draws near.
Farrère intertwines the romantic plot with a broader portrayal of Japan—a nation rapidly modernizing and adopting Western technology in the early 20th century, yet simultaneously preserving its own concepts of honor, duty, and sacrifice. The relationships between the characters thus reflect the meeting of East and West, as well as their differing perspectives on love, society, and personal freedom.
The novel’s climax centers on the Battle of Tsushima, in which the Japanese navy inflicts a crushing defeat on the Russian fleet. The war puts the protagonists' emotions and ideals to the ultimate test. Thus, the novel blends historical spectacle with romantic tragedy, depicting individual human destinies at a moment of profound historical upheaval.
One copy is available
