Fiction: Eclipse by Keiichiro Hirano

[Paul Ferguson]

"Set in late 15th-century Europe, Eclipse follows a young Dominican friar traveling from Paris to Florence in search of pre-Christian manuscripts. His encounter with an ascetic alchemist draws him into a quest for enlightenment, disrupted by disasters culminating in a solar eclipse. Written as a memoir, the novel blends historical detail, medieval alchemical lore, and philosophical depth, challenging rigid worldviews. Originally published in 1998, Eclipse earned Hirano, then a 23 year-old undergraduate, the Akutagawa Prize, establishing him as a literary prodigy."


https://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Novel-Kei...023121491X


Japanese edition:

https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%97%A5%E8%9D...101290407/