Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
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| Original Title | 巴里祭 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岡本 かの子 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Female Author |
| Summary | Adrift in Paris for sixteen years, Shinkichi Yodoshima feels like a "stylish cripple," steeped in its allure but emotionally hollow. A letter from his long-ignored Japanese wife, speaking of encroaching age, shatters his cultivated indifference, igniting a profound yearning for a past self. As Paris erupts into the chaotic Quatorze Juillet festival, Shinkichi clings to a desperate hope: to find Catherine, his ethereal first Parisian love, amidst the teeming crowds. He believes this quest is his only path to shedding Paris's nihilism and finding rebirth. But the city's intoxicating charm, and the women who embody it—from the possessive Madame Bessière, to the enigmatic Risa, and the spirited Janet—threaten to pull him deeper into its labyrinth. Can Shinkichi reclaim his lost self, or will his pursuit of a dream lead to an even deeper disillusionment? |
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