Catalog

Record Details

Catalog Search



The twilight world / Werner Herzog ; translated by Michael Hofmann.

Summary:
"Werner Herzog, one of the most revered filmmakers of all time, in his first book in many years, tells the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who continued to defend a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War Two In 1997, Werner Herzog was in Tokyo to direct an opera. His hosts there asked, whom would you like to meet? He replied instantly: Hiroo Onoda. Onoda was a former solider famous for having quixotically defended an island in the Philippines for decades after World War II, unaware the war was over. At their meeting, Herzog and Onoda spoke for hours, and together began to unravel Onoda's incredible story. At the end of 1944, on Lubang Island in the Philippines, with Japanese troops about to withdraw, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was given orders by his superior officer: Hold the island until the Imperial army's return. Defend the territory with guerilla tactics at all costs. There is only one rule: you are forbidden to die by your own hand. In the event of capture, give the enemy all the misleading information you can. Onoda dutifully retreated into the jungle, and so began his long campaign. Soon weeks turned into months, months into years, and years into decades. And all the while Onoda continued to follow his orders, surviving by any means necessary, at first with other soldiers, and then, finally, all alone in the jungle, like a phantom, becoming one with the natural world. Until eventually time itself seemed to melt away. In The Twilight World, Herzog immortalizes Onoda's years of absurd yet epic struggle, recounting his lonely mission in an inimitable, hypnotic style-part documentary, part poem, and part dream-that will be instantly recognizable to fans of his films. The result is something like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe: nothing less than a glowing, dancing meditation on the purpose and meaning we give our lives"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780593490266
  • ISBN: 0593490266
  • Physical Description: 132 pages ; 21 cm
  • Publisher: New York : Penguin Press, 2022.

Content descriptions

General Note:
"Originally published in German as Das Dämmern der Welt by Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, München."
Language Note:
In English, translated from German.
Subject: Onoda, Hiroo > Fiction.
Japan. Rikugun > Fiction.
Soldiers > Japan > Fiction.
Guerrilla warfare > Philippines > Lubang Islands > Fiction.
World War, 1939-1945 > Philippines > Lubang Islands > Fiction.
World War, 1939-1945 > Armistices > Fiction.
Genre: Historical fiction.

Available copies

  • 17 of 17 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 1 current hold with 17 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library 940.54 HERZOG (Text) 50686016178704 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Annie Halenbake Ross Library F Her (Text) 00155164 ADULT Fiction Available -
Cambria County Library FICTION Her (Text) 85131001833160 CACM Fiction Available -
Carroll Valley Library HIST FIC HERZOG WERNER (Text)
Endowment: Friends of Library Named Endowment, 2022
35740635851470 Historical Fiction Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults HER Fiction (Text) 34001001417896 Adult Area Available -
DuBois Public Library 940.54 HERZOG (Text) 61000100083233 Adult NonFiction Available -
Highland Community Library F HER (Text) 35610000996939 HGHM Fiction Available -
Indian Valley Public Library Fiction Herzog (Text) 39427103661799 Fiction Room: Adult Fiction Available -
Lower Macungie Library FIC HER (Text) 33400001565111 Adult Fiction Available -
Martin Library Adults HER Fiction (Text) 33454005870464 Reading Room Balcony Available -

Summary: "Werner Herzog, one of the most revered filmmakers of all time, in his first book in many years, tells the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who continued to defend a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War Two In 1997, Werner Herzog was in Tokyo to direct an opera. His hosts there asked, whom would you like to meet? He replied instantly: Hiroo Onoda. Onoda was a former solider famous for having quixotically defended an island in the Philippines for decades after World War II, unaware the war was over. At their meeting, Herzog and Onoda spoke for hours, and together began to unravel Onoda's incredible story. At the end of 1944, on Lubang Island in the Philippines, with Japanese troops about to withdraw, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was given orders by his superior officer: Hold the island until the Imperial army's return. Defend the territory with guerilla tactics at all costs. There is only one rule: you are forbidden to die by your own hand. In the event of capture, give the enemy all the misleading information you can. Onoda dutifully retreated into the jungle, and so began his long campaign. Soon weeks turned into months, months into years, and years into decades. And all the while Onoda continued to follow his orders, surviving by any means necessary, at first with other soldiers, and then, finally, all alone in the jungle, like a phantom, becoming one with the natural world. Until eventually time itself seemed to melt away. In The Twilight World, Herzog immortalizes Onoda's years of absurd yet epic struggle, recounting his lonely mission in an inimitable, hypnotic style-part documentary, part poem, and part dream-that will be instantly recognizable to fans of his films. The result is something like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe: nothing less than a glowing, dancing meditation on the purpose and meaning we give our lives"--

Additional Resources