Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
| Original Title | 神経 |
|---|---|
| Author | 織田 作之助 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the desolate quiet of post-war Japan, a reclusive writer finds himself haunted by the pervasive "stereotyped patterns" of life and art. His observations, sparked by a trivial revue broadcast, spiral into a profound meditation on a murdered girl from his past and the scorched earth of Osaka’s Sennichimae. As he witnesses shopkeepers defiantly rebuilding amidst ruins and black markets, he grapples with the unsettling dichotomy between their indomitable spirit and the hidden compromises sustaining their survival. Forced to craft "uplifting narratives" despite the grim reality, he questions his own complicity. For in a world where society's "nerves" have grown too numb to flinch at poison, the writer must confront the complex, unsettling truth of what it truly means to survive. |
← Return to List
← Return to TOP