A Bridge for Passing

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A Bridge for Passing
A Bridge for Passing.jpg
First edition cover
Author Pearl S. Buck
Genre Memoir
Publisher John Day Company
Publication date
April 2, 1962 [1]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
Pages256

A Bridge for Passing is a memoir by American writer Pearl S. Buck, published in April 1962 by the John Day Company. It chronicles her experiences in Japan in 1960, where she worked on a film adaptation of her 1948 book The Big Wave while coping with the grief of losing her husband, Richard J. Walsh.

Contents

Background and contents

In 1960, Buck visited Japan for the first time in 25 years, to prepare a film adaptation of her 1948 book The Big Wave . During this period, her husband and publisher, Richard J. Walsh, died in the United States. [2] Buck wrote letters while working on the film that executives from Allied Artists (the film's American financier) encouraged her to compile into a book, leading to the creation of A Bridge for Passing. [3]

Set against the backdrop of postwar Japan, the book reflects both personal loss and the cultural milieu of the time (including the Westernization of Japanese women's customs). [2] The book's title is a reference to the death of her husband and Buck's goal of building a "bridge between the west and east". [4]

Names of individuals are rarely mentioned in the book, and Buck often states their ethnicity and occupation instead. She notably refers to Walsh as "he" within the book. [5]

Publication and reception

A Bridge for Passing received widespread acclaim. [6] The Chicago Tribune and Kirkus Reviews published reviews on April 1, 1962, collectively praising its poignant autobiographical narrative and insights on grief and Japanese culture. [4] [7] The book was officially published the following day, by the John Day Company. [1] [7] Coincidentally, later that same month, The Big Wave opened in selected American theaters. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Books Today". The New York Times . April 2, 1962. p. 28.
  2. 1 2 3 Turner, Mary (May 9, 1962). "Book Recounts Story of Sorrow Overcome" . The Item . p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "On The Sets" . The Houston Chronicle . September 30, 1960. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Casey, Genevieve (April 1, 1962). "Personal Crisis Treated with Rare Good Taste" . Chicago Tribune . p. 184 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Vining, Elizabeth Gray (April 15, 1962). "Encounter With Grief". The New York Times . Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  6. ↑ Sherk, Warren (1992). Pearl S. Buck: Good Earth Mother . Drift Creek Press. p. 165. ISBN   9780962644139.
  7. 1 2 "A Bridge for Passing". Kirkus Reviews . April 1, 1962. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
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