A Bridge for Passing

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]

A Bridge for Passing received widespread acclaim.^[6] It was first published in the December 1961 issue of McCall's.^[7] 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][8] A Bridge for Passing was officially published as a book the following day, by the John Day Company.^[1][8] Coincidentally, later that same month, The Big Wave opened in selected American theaters.^[2]