朱を奪うもの (1963年)

by Fumiko Enchi

朱の色を侵蝕する紫にも似た、女の成熟の秘密……。性のめざめから、冒険的恋愛の嵐たる青春をへて、見合い結婚の初夜にいたるひと筋の道程で、女の中に着実に形成されてゆく、妖しい美しさや恐ろしさを、あたかも肌に感じさせるかのように、明確な筆にとらえてゆく。冷然と凝視し、大胆で香り高い自伝的長編小説であり、発表されるや、ひときわ当時の文壇の注目を集めた作品。

Paperback Bunko

About the author

See author 円地文子.

Fumiko Enchi was the pen name of the late Japanese Shōwa period playwright and novelist Fumiko Ueda.

The daughter of a linguist, Fumiko learned a lot about French, English, Japanese and Chinese literature through private tutorage.

Fumiko suffered from poor health as a child and spent most of her time at home. She was introduced to literature by her grandmother, who showed her to the likes of The Tale of Genji, as well as to Edo period gesaku novels and to the kabuki and bunraku theater. By 13 years old her reading list had grown to include works of the lights of Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Kyōka Izumi, Nagai Kafū, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. She discovered a special interest in the sadomasochistic aestheticism style of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki,

She was inspired to write plays after attended lectures by the founder of modern Japanese drama, Kaoru Osanai.