Pathway to Japanese Literature
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A Certain SketchAuthor: Toyoshima Yoshio
| Original Title | 或る素描 |
|---|---|
| Author | 豊島 与志雄 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | Hasebe is an enigmatic figure whose whimsical obsessions and disregard for convention baffle those around him. A company employee turned schoolteacher, he abandons duties to lose himself in billiards, ant colonies, or impulsive gardening—even as deadlines loom or his ailing mother lies unattended. His peculiar logic defies authority: when reprimanded for skipping work, he argues for radical flexibility in hours, leaving superiors speechless. Yet beneath his carefree facade simmers a restless intensity. He fixates on trivialities—watching ants dismantle insects for hours, gifting a clerk a ring after becoming obsessed with her supposed clairvoyance—only to discard these fascinations as abruptly as they arise. Colleagues whisper about his irresponsibility; his mother endures his neglect with quiet resignation. But Hasebe’s unpredictability takes darker turns: a coerced marriage proposal, unsettling confessions of impulsive violence, and a haunting detachment that leaves others uneasy. Is he a harmless eccentric or a man teetering on the edge of chaos? As his compulsions escalate, one question lingers: what drives Hasebe’s restless soul, and where will it lead him next? |
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