Pathway to Japanese Literature
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When Summer Draws NearAuthor: Makino Shinichi
| Original Title | 夏ちかきころ |
|---|---|
| Author | 牧野 信一 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a quiet coastal village, a man’s life unravels through layers of carefully constructed lies. His study overflows with notebooks—ostentatious displays of academic prowess—though their contents are hollow fabrications meant to deceive his family and neighbors. Haunted by insecurity, he masquerades as a scholar of philosophy and astronomy, weaving elaborate tales of intellectual grandeur while privately confessing his self-perceived idiocy to a visiting acquaintance. The narrator, initially repelled by his pretentiousness, is drawn into a web of performative despair as the man’s fragile facade crumbles under familial scrutiny. Tormented by the need to appear clever, he oscillates between grandiose delusions and raw vulnerability, revealing a soul fractured by shame. When paranoia drives him to flee under mysterious circumstances, the narrator confronts both pity and revulsion for this tragic figure—a man drowning in self-deception, yet clinging to the artifice that sustains him. Secrets whisper through seaside pines, hinting at a deeper unraveling yet to come. |
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