Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
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| Original Title | 紙幣 |
|---|---|
| Author | 小熊 秀雄 |
| Genre | War & Social Literature |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a world where paper currency pulses with life, a destitute poet grapples with its mocking power—an entity that slips through fingers yet commands generals to bow and transforms dignity into dust. A silver fox fur clings to a society matron’s neck, its glass eyes harboring silent fury, while hunters trade living pigs for dead luxury. Desperation festers in shadowed corners: an old woman stuffs bills into her flesh, sleepless and paranoid, as ash from incinerated money takes spectral form, haunting brothels and back alleys. Bank employees rehearse obsequious rituals for an unseen "Master," their lives orbiting stacks of bills stamped with boars—symbols of a system that twists humanity into grotesque shapes. Through surreal vignettes, the narrative exposes money’s corrosive grip, where even its remnants wield power, and souls barter their worth for crumpled promises. A haunting dance of greed and absurdity unfolds, leaving readers to ponder: What monstrous truths lie etched in the ink of everyday transactions? |
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