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Qin's MelancholyAuthor: Toyoshima Yoshio
| Original Title | 秦の憂愁 |
|---|---|
| Author | 豊島 与志雄 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In bustling Shanghai, Japanese cultural envoy Hoshino Takeo becomes consumed by an elusive quest: to locate Qin Qiyuan, a reclusive poet once celebrated in Tokyo’s literary circles. Despite inquiries through journalists, cultural liaisons, and shadowy contacts, Qin remains a ghost—known yet unknowable, his presence veiled by whispers of scandal, political intrigue, and a fractured romance that drove him from Japan. Hoshino’s determination wavers amid his hectic schedule, but memories resurface: Qin’s enigmatic poetry, his tumultuous affair with a geisha, and a haunting encounter on Tokyo’s streets that revealed unbridgeable divides between their worlds. \nOn the eve of departure, a cryptic invitation arrives. Their reunion unfolds in dim restaurants and crowded alleys, charged with unspoken tensions. Qin, now melancholic and guarded, deflects Hoshino’s pleas to revive his art, steering conversations toward land, labor, and China’s fractured identity. Amidst clinking rice wine cups and veiled threats, their dialogue spirals into ambiguity. A sudden act of violence fractures the night, leaving Hoshino adrift in Shanghai’s labyrinthine chaos. \nAs fog blurs the Huangpu River’s horizon, Qin retreats further into shadows—a figure straddling cultures, ideologies, and unresolved pasts. Hoshino departs with questions lingering like the city’s perpetual haze: Who is Qin Qiyuan? Poet? Patriot? Or a man swallowed by the very contradictions he once sought to transcend? |
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