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Spring and Autumn of a Dilapidated HouseAuthor: Umezaki Haruo
| Original Title | ボロ家の春秋 |
|---|---|
| Author | 梅崎 春生 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a crumbling Tokyo house, two men forge an uneasy coexistence born of mutual deception. The narrator, a penniless painter, and Noro Tabito—a gaunt schoolteacher adorned with bean-sized warts—find themselves trapped as reluctant housemates after being swindled by a charismatic conman. Their decaying residence becomes a battleground of petty squabbles and power struggles, from territorial disputes over mildewed rooms to absurd financial shakedowns involving homegrown vegetables. While the painter navigates artistic ambitions and failed schemes like children’s art classes, Noro’s obsessive frugality manifests in bizarre nutritional experiments and clandestine gardening. Beneath their comedic clashes simmers a darker truth: neither truly owns the rotting property, leaving them vulnerable to new threats from shadowy figures claiming authority. When an ultimatum arrives demanding they purchase the house or face eviction, their fragile truce fractures into open warfare—each determined to claim dominion over their shared purgatory. This darkly humorous tale of desperation and delusion asks: can any alliance survive when built on lies and termite-ridden foundations? |
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