Pathway to Japanese Literature
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The Lamp's NightAuthor: Niimi Nankichi
| Original Title | ラムプの夜 |
|---|---|
| Author | 新美 南吉 |
| Genre | Children's Literature |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | On a blustery spring night, two sisters huddle in their dimly study near a mist-shrouded forest, their solitary lamp extinguished by a power outage. Forced to light an antique French heirloom—a relic of their sea-captain father’s travels—the flickering glow awakens bittersweet memories of their late younger brother, Yukibō. As wind rattles the windows, three enigmatic visitors materialize: a melancholy Traveler who claims kinship with lonely dreamers worldwide, a theatrically inept Thief boasting imaginary accomplices, and a frail Boy carrying a harp who yearns for a playmate forever lost. Each guest stirs echoes of the past—shadow puppetry sessions, childhood laughter, Yukibō’s tiny gloves—blurring reality and memory. When electricity abruptly restores, the Boy vanishes, leaving behind haunting coughs and a pair of embroidered gloves that unravel the sisters’ wistful illusions. As headlights pierce the darkness signaling their family’s return, the lingering question remains: Were these spectral figures mere tricks of lamplight, or guardians of stories too tender to fade? |
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