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The Modern Art of DeceptionAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango
| Original Title | 現代の詐術 |
|---|---|
| Author | 坂口 安吾 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the shadow of postwar Japan’s ruins, a disillusioned observer unravels the fragile veneer of civilization. Amid ration lines and black markets, desperation strips society to its primal core, revealing a regression to medieval instincts—guilds form not from solidarity but survival, where neighbors claw for scraps under the guise of order. The narrator, once insulated by peacetime naivety, confronts a world where morality dissolves into necessity: shopkeepers hoard goods for VIPs, politicians cloak corruption in legality, and ordinary citizens morph into cunning strategists. Yet within this chaos lies a raw honesty—black marketeers, though criminalized, embody a courage absent in those wielding power. As electric lights flicker and trains overflow, the text probes the paradox of sin and virtue, questioning whether humanity’s true nature thrives in darkness or merely adapts. A searing critique of authority and self-deception, this meditation on survival challenges readers to confront what lies beneath society’s crumbling facade—and within themselves. |
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