Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
IAuthor: Tanizaki Junichirō
| Original Title | 私 |
|---|---|
| Author | 谷崎 潤一郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a dimly lit dormitory of elite students, whispered rumors of thefts fracture fragile friendships. A pale, neurotic scholar finds himself ensnared in suspicion when his family’s “descending wisteria” crest matches clues left by an elusive thief. As dormmates debate morality and class divides—wealthy Higuchi’s casual disdain for “thieves as another breed” stings like a blade—the narrator grows hyperaware of sidelong glances, particularly from Hirata, a judo-trained rival radiating contempt. Paranoia festers: stolen money orders, secret surveillance in bathhouses, anonymous accusations. When a confrontation erupts in moonlit gardens, long-buried truths surface—not just about stolen goods, but stolen trust. The narrator’s confession cracks open questions of identity and guilt: Can kindness coexist with compulsion? Are we shaped by circumstance or something darker within? Years later, as the thief reflects on fractured bonds and society’s skewed judgments, one question lingers—was his crime the thefts themselves, or the corrosive doubt he sowed among those who once called him friend? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP