Pathway to Japanese Literature
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Night BirdAuthor: Jinzai Kiyoshi
| Original Title | 夜の鳥 |
|---|---|
| Author | 神西 清 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In post-war Japan, a group of old friends reunites at a secluded villa, their camaraderie strained by decades of silence. Among them is G, an enigmatic architect-poet whose withdrawn demeanor and fragmented past intrigue the gathering. Once a solitary mountaineer and artist of "mineral" poetry, G vanished years ago to design hospitals across wartime Asia, leaving behind rumors of a tragic marriage. As the group navigates awkward reunions and forced merriment, a midnight hike through overgrown mountain trails leads to an eerie hot spring encounter where haunting bird cries pierce the darkness. \nG reluctantly shares fragments of his past—a twilight existence in Manchuria, abandoned Russian villas in Lüshun, and a mysterious woman in lilac whose fleeting presence intertwines with the long-lost Mr. Wei, a towering medical student from their youth who disappeared into war's chaos. Through veiled recollections of mummified Gaochang nomads and snuff bottle collections, G's tale blurs memory and premonition, hinting at connections between ancient ruins and modern ruin, between spectral figures from China's occupied territories and ghosts from their own pasts. The night bird's shriek lingers—a cipher for histories buried yet restless, waiting to take wing. |
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