A review by shanepunk
Empire of Signs by Roland Barthes

5.0

So great, intriguing, beautiful book. Reading it was a pleasure and it was so hard to put it down that I had to finish it in one day. I really enjoyed his analyses of objects connected with Japan or what he was calling Japan (foodstuff, chopsticks, pachinko etc.) - in a manner that was unexpectedly brilliant, full of comparisons that had spoken to me. With all those, he has made clear, inspiring connections. Also, the way of writing here gives the feeling like I was reading a novel in Orhan Pamuk's manner (which for me places it really high). The edition (Hill and Wang which belongs to Farrar, Strauss and Giroux), with extra black-and-white photographies, was a wonderful addition in order to make it a piece of art.