Vita Sexualis

by Ōgai Mori, Sanford Goldstein (Translator), Kazuji Ninomiya (Translator)

Though banned three weeks after its publication in 1909, Vita Sexualis is far more than a prurient erotic novel. The narrator, a professor of philosophy, wrestles with issues of sexual desire, sex education, and the proper place of sensuality. He tells the story of his own journey into sexual awareness, spanning fifteen years, from his first exposure to erotic woodcuts at the age of six, to his first physical response to a woman, and his eventual encounter with a professional courtesan. Beyond being a poignant account of one boy's coming of age, Vita Sexualis is also an important record of Japan's moral struggles during the cultural upheaval of the last years of the Meiji era.
In response to the publication of Vita Sexualis, Ogai Mori was reprimanded by Japan's vice-minister of war.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Japan, Fiction, Classics, Asia, Literature, Erotica

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Mori Ōgai, pseudonym of Mori Rintarō (born February 17, 1862, Tsuwano, Japan—died July 9, 1922, Tokyo), one of the creators of modern Japanese literature.

The son of a physician of the aristocratic warrior (samurai) class, Mori Ōgai studied medicine, at first in Tokyo and from 1884 to 1888 in Germany. In 1890 he published the story “Maihime” (“The Dancing Girl”), an account closely based on his own experience of an unhappy attachment between a German girl and a Japanese student in Berlin. It represented a marked departure from the impersonal fiction of preceding generations and initiated a vogue for autobiographical revelations among Japanese writers. Ōgai’s most popular novel, Gan (1911–13; part translation: The Wild Goose), is the story of the undeclared love of a moneylender’s mistress for a medical student who passes by her house each day. Ōgai also translated Hans Christian Andersen’s autobiographical novel Improvisatoren.

In 1912 Ōgai was profoundly moved by the suicide of General Nogi Maresuke, following the death of the emperor Meiji, and he turned to historical fiction depicting the samurai code. The heroes of several works are warriors who, like General Nogi, commit suicide in order to follow their masters to the grave. Despite his early confessional writings, Ōgai came to share with his samurai heroes a reluctance to dwell on emotions. His detachment made his later works seem cold, but their strength and integrity were strikingly close to the samurai ideals he so admired.

Reviews

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yukio Mişima’nın ‘Ergenlik Dönemim’ başlıklı eseri ile Ogai Mori’nin bu eserini arka arkaya okudum. Birbiri ile hem dil, hem de içerik anlamında bir çok benzeşen nokta olması beni şaşırttı. Hatta bazı bölümlerde hangi kitabı okuduğumu, karakterleri karıştırdım. Çok güzel bir okuma oldu.

Kitabın yayınlanmasından hemen sonra ‘sakıncalı içerik’ gerekçesi ile yasaklanmış. Çünkü Yazar, bir erkek çocuğun altı yaşından itibaren, evleninceye dek cinsellikle ilgili duygu ve düşüncelerini ve bu açıdan okul hayatını, arkadaşlarını anlatıyor. Ancak kitap içeriğinde bu anlamda rahatsız edici bir şey göremedim. Yasaklanmış olması şaşırtıcı. Aksine çok zarif cümlelerle neyi ne kadar anlatacağını hassasiyetle belirleyerek anlatmış. Elbette dönem şartlarını da düşünerek değerlendirmek farklı sonuçlara ulaştırabilir.

Her ne kadar metin çok akıcı olsa da, sanki bazı şeyler havada kalmış, bazı cümleler arasında kopukluk var gibi. Arada anlatılmamış şeyler, ya da özellikle kurulmamış cümleler var duygusu uyandırıyor. Belki satır aralarının okunabilmesi için, birkaç kez okunması gerek.

[d · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ōgai Mori fue un tipo extraño. Tenía el más alto cargo para un médico militar en el gobierno imperial japonés, y sin embargo, también se dedicaba a traducir del francés, del inglés y del alemán. O sea, dedicó su vida a dos de las ocupaciones humanistas más respetadas de Japón: la medicina y la educación. No recuerdo donde leí que está considerado como el padre de la literatura moderna japonesa, junto con Soseki. Efectivamente tiene un estilo sobrio,... viril pero nunca abandona la poesía y cierta forma de humanismo.

Un ejemplo bellísimo del nivel de sutileza que maneja Ōgai es el siguiente fragmento. Es cuando el protagonista tiene 14 años y va a la casa de su amigo, Eiichi. Su amigo no está, pero sí su madrastra, que lo invita a pasar, se sientan los dos en la baranda del jardín...

I could smell her sweat, her face powder, the oil she used on her hair. I moved a little to the side. She smiled, though I didn't know why (...)

She almost seemed to press her cheek against mine as she peered at me from the side. Her breath fell against my face. I felt that breath was strangely hot. And at the same time it suddenly occurred to me that Eiichi's mother was a woman. For some reason or other I became terrified. I might have even turned pale (...)

Suddenly overcome with confusion and bowing three or four times, I broke into a run. Between the thick growth of plants in the garden of our lord's mansion was a ditch into which water from a small pond ran after passing over a small dam. On the sandy soil at the edge of this ditch where horsetails were growing, tall trees among the thick growth of vegetation were casting lingering shadows slightly to the west. Having run as far as this spot, I threw myself down on the sand and lay on my back.

Directly above me clusters of trumpet flowers were blooming as if aflame. The cries of the locusts were vigorous, energetic. There were no other sounds. It was the hour when the great god Pan still sleeps. I pictured to myself a multitude of images.

Esta novela corta refiere un tema que es muy caro a mi corazón: la representación de la sexualidad en la literatura japonesa. Ōgai va más allá, uno de los ejes que se plantea su protagonista (con el que comparte muchos rasgos biográficos) es la posibilidad de unión entre sexualidad y amor. Por supuesto que el autor entiende que sexualidad no es solo genitalidad. De hecho su protagonista se pregunta todo el tiempo porqué sus amigos, sus vecinos y sus compañeros de clase están tan obsesionados con el sexo,... y él no. Lo que pesa en el joven protagonista es, ni más ni menos, el peso del deber: el estudio y el deber hacia sus padres. El mismo protagonista se autodefine como apolíneo(!!), yo diría que el protagonista anda entre la asexualidad y la represión impuesta en su familia.

En ciertos aspectos esta novelita es hermana de esa obra maestra que es Kokoro. El conflicto entre los deseos individuales y la tradición paterna, entre el deseo propio y el deber. Pero sobre todo, ambas obras retratan una sensibilidad particular en las relaciones entre hombre y mujer. A pesar de que aquí Ōgai tiene una clara intención de crear un tono moral (son muchos los personajes que 'se desvían del camino de la virtud', abandonan las obligaciones, etc.), también se detallan mucho los gestos, la sensibilidad que a principio parece tan enigmática...

I couldn't help feeling moved. But I had no way of putting these feelings into words. If I offered him some meaningless words of consolation, he would not have hesitated to show his anger. All I could do was remain silent...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer explores his fairly aloof sexuality.

When he was six ... he glimpsed a naughty book over the shoulder of a young virgin.
When he was seven ... a local rustic made shouty reference to his parents' bedroom activities.
When he was ten ... he found some more porn. Started to think about genitals.
Autumn of that year ... overheard local toughs at a festival.
When he was eleven ... moved to Tokyo! Retainer takes him to Yoshiwara for tea (just tea) with a prostitute. Catches a naughty play. Hears servants flirting. At boarding school, older boys keep trying to seduce him.
When he was thirteen ... new boarding school consists of the 'mashers' (effeminate heterosexuals) and 'queers' (macho homosexuals, largely from Kyushu for some reason). Carries a knife everywhere to escape the latter.
When he was fourteen ... is in trouble for eating in a restaurant with a friend, who wanted to celebrate his first kiss with a girl. Another friend's step-mum gets a bit close.
When he was fifteen ... friends with Koga and Kojima. Kojima is strictly virginal. Koga tries to be chaste, but is a raging 'queer'.
Fall of the same year ... friend Koga is in love with a boy called Adachi.
When he was sixteen ... still a virgin, masturbating more frequently.
When he was seventeen ... hint of a marriage proposal.
When he was eighteen ... is a maid falling in love with him?
When he was nineteen ... watches young men and their interactions with geisha at parties.
When he was twenty ... meets a girl at the very start of possible marriage negotiations.
Beginning of winter that same year ... gets laid!
When he was twenty-one ... once you pop, you can't stop!

[Deniz Balcı · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Vita Sexualis" çok ilginç bir metin! Biraz bahsedeceğim, zira beni epey heyecanlandırdı.

Önce biraz yazardan bahsetmekte fayda var. Ogai Mori, İmparator Meiji'nin başa geçmesinden biraz daha önce 1962'de dünyaya geldi. Haliyle çocukluğundan itibaren Büyük Japon Modernleşmesi'nin tam göbeğindeydi. Bu modernleşmeye tanık olmakla kalmadı, inşasında da görev aldı. Nesillerdir hekimlik yapan ailesinin geleneği gereği iyi eğitimler aldı ve Japonya'nın en genç yaşta doktor olan insanlarından biri oldu. Almanya'ya gitti ve tıp eğitimini orada tamamladı. Bu Batı yolculuğu onu felsefi ve sanatsal açıdan da çok etkiledi. Aslen doktor olmasına ve Japonya'ya dönünce askeri olarak görevlendirilmesine; hatta Japonya tarihinin en büyük tıp skandallarından bir tanesine imza atıp yaklaşık 27.000 askerin ölümüne sebep olacak olmasına rağmen, bu iddialı hayatına paralel edebi bir kariyer inşa etmeyi başardı. 1911-1913 senelerinde dikte ettirdiği "Yaban Kazı" en bilinen eseri olmasına rağmen(Daha önce yayımlandı İthaki Japon Klasikleri serisinde), 1909'da yayımladığı bu kitap (Yani Vita Sexualis) bana kalırsa çok daha önemli bir eser. Şimdiye değin abartılmamış olmasına şaşırıyorum. İlk romanı olan Vita Sexualis yayımlandıktan üç hafta sonra Japonya'da, toplumun ahlakına ters olduğu ve Japon toplumunu yanlış yansıttığı gerekçesiyle yasaklanmış. Hakikaten de romanı şimdiki zamanın gözüyle okuduğumuzda bile son derece açık, iddialı ve tartışmalıdır. Bunu o dönemin baskıcı ve örtük toplumsal yapısı içerisinde yayımlatabilmiş olması şaşkınlık yaratıcıdır.

Peki bu kadar yaygaraya sebep olacak ne anlatıyordur "Vita Sexualis"? Kitabın ismi Latince 'cinsel arzu' anlamına gelir. Bu kısa roman, başkarakter olan Şizuka Kanay'ın çocukluğundan otuzlu yaşlarına değin yaşadığı cinsel tecrübeleri anlatmaktadır. Kanay, Ogai Mori'nin kendisinden yola çıkarak inşa ettiği otobiyografik bir karakterdir. Eserdeki olayların akışı ve mekânsal değişimler Mori'nin hayatıyla birebir örtüşmektedir. Kanay, bir felsefe tarihi profesörüdür ve kendine has bir eğitim anlayışıyla felsefe dersleri vermektedir. Natsume Soseki'nin ilk önemli eserlerinin yayımlanmaya başladığı dönemdir ve Kanay bundan çok etkilenir ve Soseki'yi taklit ettiği bazı denemelerde bulunur. Kötü taklitten öteye geçemez. Bu dönem bir yandan da natüralizm etkisi hakimdir ve Kanay natüralizmin insanı ve özellikle insanın gizil duygularını anlatmak için son derece mesafeli ve soğuk olduğunu düşünür. Soseki'nin yazarlığından aldığı güç ve cinsel duyguların doğru şekilde aktarılmadığına dair olan inancından dolayı karakterimiz Kanay, oğluna cinsellikle doğru bir tanışma yaşaması açısından; cinsel arzuyu görülür kılacağı özgün bir metin yazmaya karar verir. İşte elimizde tuttuğumuz, Vita Sexualis o metnin ta kendisi. Oğlu için yazılmış ama dünyaya armağan olmuş bir kitap.

Çocuk Kanay'ın cinselliğe dair ilk imgelerle tanışmasından ve yetişkin dünyasına dair ilk anlamlandırma çabalarına girişmesinden başlayan kitap, bölüm bölüm Kanay'ın ilk uyanışlarını, okul ortamında hemcinsleri ile tecrübeler edindiği çatışmalı ergenliğini; karşı cinsle ilk temasını ve sonrasında sadece izleyici olarak birey ve çiftler davranışlarını incelediği dönemleri anlatmaktadır. İlerledikçe ilk gençliğinde yaşadığı bazı deneyimlere, geyşalara, genelevlere, ilk cinsel ilişkiye ve akabinde evliliğine doğru uzanan anlatıda, cinsel arzu masaya yatırılır. Burası ilginç, çünkü burada cinsel arzuya bir otopsi yapılmasına rağmen, Ogai Mori'nin yaklaşımı son derece aseksüeldir. Cinsellikle ilgili üçüncü göz olmaktan öteye gidemez. Arzulanma mekanizması neredeyse çalışmıyordur ve bunu sebeplendirme gereği duymaz. Bunu bir başarı olarak görür ve gurur duyduğu bir arma gibi taşır. Psikanalize kayıp bazı yorumlarda bulunmak da mümkündür. Belki korku, belki aile, belki biyolojik eksiklikler... Fakat bu sularda da bize bir damla bırakmaz Mori. Bilinçli bir tercihin ötesinde, içgüdüsel bir yoksunlukla yaşamaktadır sanki. Yukio Mişima'nın kendi ergenliğini masaya yatırdığı "Ergenlik Dönemim" eserindeki hislenmelerle benzerdir. Fakat Mişima saplantılı derecede edebi bir doyumun peşindedir ve kendisiyle ilgili eksikliklerin fazlasıyla farkındadır. İlişkiyi yaşadığı zaman, cinsellikten 'ortak' bir zevk almanın yolunu biliyordur. Fakat Ogai Mori bu minvalde bile tecrübelerine son derece uzaktır. Sanki başkasının hikayesine dahil edilgen bir karakterdir.

Öte yandan Japon Edebiyatı'ndan bahsedecek olduğumuzda cinsellik çok önemli bir mesele olarak karşımıza çıkar. Japon Edebiyatı'nın devleri Natsume Soseki, Junichiro Tanizaki, Yukio Mişima, Yasunari Kawabata gibi yazarların edebiyatında cinsellik meselesi hep sıkıntılı ve merkez bir izlektir. O sebepten Japon Edebiyatı'nın cinsellikle olan kavgalı ilişkisini analiz etmek istediğimizde yapacağımız araştırmanın başlangıç noktalarından birinin Vita Sexualis olduğunu düşünüyorum. Modern dönemde bu kadar açık ve derdini direkt anlatan başka bir metin olduğunu anımsamıyorum. Kanay'ın evlilikle ilgili son bölümde söylediklerini o kadar aydınlatıcı buldum ki, kendinden sonra gelen birçok yazarın eserinde göreceğimiz karakter zihinlerinin resmen ilk örneği gibi okunabilir.

Vita Sexualis deştikçe deşilmeye uygun. Ben şimdilik burada keseyim. Son olarak, Ayabakan Yayınları çiçeği burnunda bir yayınevi. Çok özenli bir çeviri ve güzel bir baskı ile kitabı bize sunmuşlar. Çevirmen ve yayıncı arkadaşımız Kuzey Baykal daha yolun başında ve modern bir gözle, şahane kapaklarla, özenli sunumlarla güzel bir seçki yayımlıyor. Radara alınmalı kesinlikle. Yayınları uzun olur umarım.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite what the title seems to promise, the book itself is mainly a reflection on life, its driving forces and to what degree can sexuality be counted among them.
The body of the novel is short, to the point, and throughout its entirety there are numerous hints that the author questions the validity of several literary trends and social mores of his time. In the very beginning of the book he writes that either the Japanese have lost their minds from all the sex found in contemporary novels or his narrator is the most frigid man alive. Therefore I found it profoundly ironic, and funny, that he then proceeded to write about the sexual awakening and life of the narrator, a Philosophy professor, while never actually explicitly describing any of the acts.
While the novel may or may not have autobiographical content, I chose to read it as the author's attempt to shed some light on the dubious question of Japanese sexuality during the Meiji era, from its red light districts to its extremely puritan and moralistic public facade.
In conclusion, all I can say is that I liked this book better than 'Gan' and that I would not hesitate to read it again.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm certain this is a fiction-nonfiction bildungsroman of a very mundane man's sexual development. It's truly fascinating that most people's intruductions into sex follow the same patterns, and time and culture doesn't substantially affect these patterns, though specific circumstances obviously change. While the Meiji Era was a time of great social change, then as now, to confess that sex isn't one's be-all and end-all takes real courage.

[Yuniar Ardhist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salah satu buku yang pernah dilarang beredar karena dianggap erotis, sekitar sebulan setelah rilis tahun 1909. Ogai ditegur oleh pemerintah, termasuk karena dia adalah seorang dokter militer berpangkat Mayjen yang berkontribusi dalam tiga perang Jepang.

Sebagai salah satu karya terpenting Mori Ogai, selain Angsa Liar (telah diterjemahkan juga oleh Moooi), pembaca sastra mungkin sudah familiar. Ogai dianggap sebagai salah satu sastrawan paling produktif di era Meiji.

Dilihat dari judulnya, mungkin bayangan awal buku ini berisi eksplorasi petualangan seksual. Ternyata tidak. Justru tidak ada adegan yang dianggap vulgar, meskipun memang bercerita tentang tahapan-tahapan perkenalan seseorang dengan seksualitas.

Semacam diari, seorang Profesor Filsafat menuliskan catatan pribadi tentang seksualitas dari masa lalunya, mulai umur 6 hingga 21 tahun. Mulai dari penemuannya atas buku bergambar yang ia tidak yakin maksudnya, interaksi dengan lingkungan yang tidak memberinya ruang aman, persahabatannya dengan beberapa kawan pria lain, hingga kehidupan dewasanya.

Dilihat dari konteks cerita buku, pembaca tidak akan menemukan sesuatu yang ‘seru’. Tapi buku klasik selalu memberikan hal lebih, justru di luar isi buku itu sendiri.

Tafsirnya bisa saja melihat buku ini sebagai bentuk kritik Ogai pada banyak karya lain di Jepang yang dianggap kurang merepresentasikan gaya naturalisme yang sebenarnya. Hanya semacam ‘jiplakan’ dari gaya naturalisme Eropa. Padahal di era Meiji, gaya naturalisme sedang populer. Meiji adalah era modernisasi dan westernisasi Jepang. Ada perubahan besar dalam banyak aspek, termasuk budaya. Bisa juga dianalisis dalam konteks tahapan perkembangan psikoseksualitasnya.

Semesta bacaan Ogai tergambar dari buku ini. Ia banyak menyisipkan informasi tentang karya-karya penulis lain yang bukan hanya dari Jepang, juga membandingkannya.

Jika tokoh utama di buku ini adalah dirinya, Ogai menampakkan diri sebagai intelektual dengan cita rasa seni tinggi. Fokus dalam pendidikan dan tidak mudah terbawa arus. Di akhir cerita, ia menjelaskan perspektif sang tokoh dalam memandang & memosisikan diri pada seksualitas.

[Elena Carmona · Rating 2 out of 5]

dónde está la parte de sexualis que yo la vea.

Creo que se puede narrar la relación que alguien mantiene con su baja líbido de formas mucho más interesantes. Cuando finalmente, en las últimas quince páginas, el protagonista mantiene relaciones sexuales, la experiencia en sí se omite por completo. Como si ese no fuera el whole point de la novela. Excepto los primeros capítulos, los de la infancia, me ha parecido una obra más bien insulsa.

[Alice Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing Mori has written. Very easy to read, reads like a autobiography of growing up in changing Japan when homosexuality became questionable rather than honourable- ahead of its time. Considering the significance of the book in Japanese literature and how quick it is too read, its an excellent book to add to the 'read' list

[César Carranza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno! Es un compendio de las experiencias "sexuales" de el narrador, no son propiamente eso, es como crece y como el sexo irrumpe en pequeños episodios en su vida, desde niño, me gustó mucho el estilo y la atmósfera del libro.

[aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting fictional record of the sexual (or non-sexual) life of a young Japanese philosopher in the Meiji era. Ogai was opposed to the Japanese naturalist movement, which he believed put sex and sexuality at the root of all actions. He uses this account to refute this idea- sexuality is portrayed as neither the motivating force in life nor something that one slips into organically.
Although the basic premise of the novel seemed to me both truthful and innovative for its time (1909), I thought that it went a little too far in its rejection of eros and sexuality. Still, I enjoyed it much more than his more famous Wild Geese.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I very much liked his other book. This book is okay. It’s a reflection of his life. He was an asexual before an asexual was a thing. Idk why he thought this was a good idea to write for his son, literally nothing helpful is said. Also, those dorms sounds scary. The wild goose is better book, I like that book a lot. Quite cool to see how love life was back then for a ugly folk tho, very cool. I like. Cool

[Ral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a very good analysis of Japan's sexuality and its views on it during the Meiji period. It explores sexuality and at the same time how men and women are affected by it differently. The book is very interesting, especially as a reader that has had similar experiences. A person's lack of sexuality in a sexual world is a topic worth expanding on and I think Mori Ougai did that very well.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! What was controversial then is tame by today's standards, but that's partly what makes it fascinating: to draw contemporary parallels while reading it. You have to stick with this book til the end. It's the third-person wrap-up at the end that makes it extraordinary.

[Dolors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Descripció - força pudorosa - del despertar del desig sexual i de alguns comportaments sexuals adolescents, en el Japó del periode Meiji (s XIX aprox). Un escriptor a descobrir.

[Mohamed Al-Moslemany · Rating 2 out of 5]

يحاول أوجاي هنا كتابة تاريخ جنسي يجسد جانبي طبيعة الإنسان. فبينما أعلن الروائيون الطبيعيون في أيامه تمسكهم بالواقع، واستغلوا الحياة اليومية كخلفية لتمثيل رغبات أبطالهم الجنسية "الطبيعية". يشكك دكتور الفلسفة ويتساءل إذا كان التزام الطبيعيين بالواقع يؤدي في الحقيقة إلى حياة جنسية بالشكل الذي تخيلوه. وهكذا يعلن بطل الرواية "شيزوكا كاناي" أنه سيسعى لكتابة تاريخ لرغباته الجنسية، لكن نتيجة هذا التاريخ الذي امتد لتسعة عشر سنة كانت نجاح أوجاي في تصوير هذا المسار المزدوج للجسد والروح بكل تعقيداته المتناقضة نفسيا. ونتيجة أخرى لهذا التحقيق، أن أصبح لدى القارئ وصف دقيق لعالم الحياة الجنسية المعقد في سياق القرن التاسع عشر في فترة الميجي في اليابان.

يحرص أوجاي على منع تحول تحقيقه إلى لوحة جنسية صريحة، وهو رد فعل ضد الأساليب الآلية التفصيلية التي يتناول بها الطبيعيون هذه الظاهرة الصعبة. فطريقة أوجاي الشاعرية مثلا لوصف مرور بطله لأول مرة بلحظة ثمينة، خفية ولكنها حلوة مع المرأة والجنس عندما كان في الرابعة عشر من عمره تبدوا فعالة بشكل كبير وموحية بالكامل عن الواقع، بشكل ربما أكثر فاعلية من طرق الشرح الطبيعية المفصلة. الصورة المتمثلة في تداخل صيحات الجراد الشديدة والقوية في الصيف الحار الهادئ والخفقان المستمر من قلب البطل. وجملة واحدة قصيرة، "لقد صورت لنفسي العديد من الخيالات".
يحدث هذا المشهد عندما تطلب زوجة أب صديقه " إيشي"، الجلوس على الشرفة معها أثناء غياب " إيشي". جسد المرأة يشع تقريبا للشاب الصغير: "استطعت أن أشم رائحة عرقها ومسحوق وجهها والزيوت التي استخدمتها على شعرها. انتقلت قليلا إلى الجانب. ابتسمتْ، رغم أنني لم أعرف السبب.
كادت أن تضغط بخدها على وجهي بينما كانت تنظر لي من الجانب. تكاد أنفاسها تسقط على وجهي. شعرت أن التنفس كان حارًا بشكل غريب. وفي الوقت نفسه، طرأ إليّ فجأة أن والدة "إيشي" كانت امرأة. لسبب أو لآخر أصبحت مرعوبًا. وربما تحول وجهي للون الأبيض شحوبا.
تغلبت فجأة على الارتباك والانحناء ثلاث أو أربع مرات، وهربت جريًا. وبين النباتات الكثيفة في حديقة قصر اللورد، كان هناك خندق يجري فيه الماء إلى بركة صغيرة بعد المرور فوق سد صغير. على التربة الرملية على حافة هذا الخندق حيث تنمو نباتات ذنب الخيل، كانت الأشجار الطويلة بين النباتات الكثيفة تلقي بظلالها على الغرب قليلاً. بعد أن ركضت في هذه البقعة، رميت نفسي على الرمال واستلقيت على ظهري.
وفوقي مباشرة تتفتح زهور البوق كما لو أنها تشتعل. كانت صرخات الجراد قوية ونشطة. لم تكن هناك أصوات أخرى. كانت الساعة التي ينام فيها الإله العظيم بان. صورت لنفسي العديد من الخيالات."

رواية أوجاي لا تنكر العالم الواقعي للوعي الجنسي ولا تدعي له النقاء والبراءة، فالكتاب يتناول مشكلات الشبق الذاتي والشذوذ الجنسي والعوالم المثيرة للفن والأدب. وفي النهاية، يجب على البطل أن يتعامل مع مشكلة عالم النساء، بدءً من الوجوه الكاريكاتورية المرسومة للعاهرات في متاجر الرماية إلى المرافقات في يوشيهوارا. في المدرسة وفي مساكن الطلبة، يجب أن يحمل خنجرًا لحماية نفسه من "الشواذ/ المثليين". وأثناء كل هذه المغامرات الجنسية المحتملة، والمواجهات، والرحلات المقلقة، يحافظ بطل أوجاي على توازنه، ويلاحظ، ويعلق، أحيانًا بروح الدعابة، وأحيانًا على محمل الجد، ودائما بشكل واعي ناقدا ذاته والآخرين والمجتمع.

[Meghan Fidler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire Mori Ōgai for writing ヰタ　セクスアリス at a time when the Meiji government was suppressing any literature they believed to contain pornographic materials.
Why they choose to suppress this book, however, escapes my grasp. Perhaps it's just because of the time period I have been steeped in. In my opinion, however, this book has no sex. Even when he has sex (finally, somewhere near the last 20 or so pages), there is no description besides him being carefully led to lay down by a high-class geisha.
I did wonder, however, if the constant calls of Mori Ōga to be a philosopher--while the book is meant to appear under a character who is a philosopher, it is a very clear autobiography--if the lack of sex was his purpose. Instead, he focuses on the relationship he develops with his close male friends: a friendship which he blatantly uses to explain why he was still a virgin until very late in life.
I enjoyed the parallels he drew between other authors of sexual adventures. It was delightful to read the opinion of a great Japanese author on Western works.
I also found his description of 'peeking' at other penises, size checking, funny, particularly because he had been 'peeking' at ukioe:

"While I kept glancing at them over and over again, some doubts occurred. One part of the body was drawn with extreme exaggeration. When I was much younger, it had been quite natural for me to think that this part of the body was a leg when it actually wasn’t. Drawings of this type can be discovered in any country, but only in Japan do we find them with such monstrous proportions for this part of the body. This was an invention of the ukiyoe artists of our country. The ancient Greek artists, in creating the figure of a god, enlarged the brow and made the lower portions of the face smaller."

I did not, however, enjoy the descriptions of women in this book. As usual, they are given very little voice and, when they are given agency, it is an agency filled with devious desires or a desire to rise in social ranks.
While his treatment of the subject of sex, then, is a bit unusual (as this memoir is pseudo-scientific) for this time in Japan, his treatment of gender remains utterly predictable.

[v a l d a ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ia menemukan analisis dangkal yang menyiratkan bahwa pengetahuannya atas dirinya sendiri telah menghancurkan hasratnya" (hal 187)

Karya ini dibuka dengan penjelasan tokoh utama yaitu Shizuka Kanai yang berprofesi sebagai dosen filsafat. Meski dianggap filsuf, Kanai tidak menerbitkan tulisan selain karya tulisnya, padahal menurut narator, Kanai dianggap sebagai dosen yang mumpuni secara keilmuan. Kemudian terbersit di pikiran Kanai untuk menerbitkan karya, sebuah otobiografi yang memuat pengalamannya dan pemikirannya, ia pun memilih menuliskan pengalaman seksualnya karena menganggap dirinya berbeda, dan hal itu dipengaruhi oleh lika-liku kehidupannya sejak kecil.

Berlatar Jepang pada masa Meiji, tulisan ini mengajak pembaca untuk mengikuti pemikiran Kanai saat dihadapkan pada hal-hal berbau seksual. Ia menceritakan pengalamannya terpapar hal seksual ketika anak-anak, kemudian berlanjut ke remaja dan dewasa. Kanai juga mendeskripsikan apa saja yang dilihat dan bagaimana perasaannya saat melihat hal-hal berbau seks. Dari pengalaman-pengalaman itulah Kanai memiliki penilaian terhadap seks dan secara tidak sadar membentuknya menjadi pribadi yang sekarang.

Waktu pertama baca deskripsi buku ini ku pikir akan dihadapkan dengan cerita erotis ala penulis Jepang, tapi ternyata buku ini tidak begitu eksplisit (setidaknya dalam versi terjemahan). Seperti kebanyakan pengarang Jepang, pesan yang disampaikan di sini sangat halus dan sarat makna. Menurutku, buku ini menceritakan tentang pengetahuan seks yang terlalu cepat diterima anak tanpa penjelasan terlebih dahulu. Sehingga pengalaman-pengalaman 'buruk' yang dirasakan berdampak pada kepribadiannya saat dewasa.

Secara keseluruhan buku ini asik untuk dibaca, versi terjemahannya mudah untuk diikuti tapi memang sangat lambat temponya (seperti kebanyakan penulis Jepang), cerita ini gak begitu berkesan buatku tapi aku bisa paham kalau buku ini pernah dilarang beredar karena pada saat penerbitannya tahun 1909 dianggap terlalu vulgar menggambarkan kehidupan seks, dan bisa jadi preseden buruk untuk citra pendidikan di Jepang. Tapi di sisi lain, Ogai memberikan gambaran transisi budaya yang dialami tokoh mulai saat kecil hingga dewasa.

[Gardy (Elisa G) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi fa sempre sorridere e riflettere sullo straordinario potere dell'erotismo il fatto che questo romanzo breve di Mori Ogai - concepito come ironica condanna degli allora dilaganti shishosetsu (romanzi verità) in cui gli autori giapponesi scandalizzavano il pubblico con i racconti più intimi e spinti del loro coming of age - sia pubblicato da ES nella collana "biblioteca dell'eros".
Ai tempi (1909) il diario dei primi turbamenti amorosi del giovane Kanai fece scalpore, ma oggigiorno è davvero difficile rintracciarvi dell'erotismo in senso lato, soprattutto perché con grande ironia si tratteggia un giovane frigido, maestro di passività e del lasciato per perso di ogni tentativo di contatto dell'altro sesso.

L'edizione di ES è un filo datata ma davvero fantastica: Ornella Civaldi traduce bene, con rispetto per la cultura originale ma con doverose note esplicative e una doppietta introduzione/postfazione che rende anche il lettore casuale più che consapevole e in grado di apprezzare il lavoro di Ogai. Se mi assicurassero sempre lavori di questo tipo, baratterei le durissime coste piantachiodi di ES con le vetuste traduzioni dall'inglese di Einaudi e Feltrinelli o con la risposta antologica che mi diede Neri Pozza quando chiesi se non fosse il caso di mettere un glossario in coda ai loro Soseki: "tanto c'è Google".

Un bel volume, sicuramente non imperdibile: se volete provare Mori Ogai, consiglierei di partire da "L'oca selvatica", più occidentale, più struggente e un filo meno didascalico. Il mio più grande cruccio è di non averlo mai potuto confrontare con uno degli shishosetsu "scabrosi" di cui Ogai e Soseki tanto si lagnavano.

Se invece cercate un libro erotico, state perdendo tempo. Voi state cercando un libro di Junichiro Tanizaki. Tipo "La Chiave".

[Deniz]

before starting this book (or any of mori's writing), i had little to no knowledge about him.
having read bungou stray dogs and enjoying seeing how asagiri desinged his characters based on the books they wrote, this book was one i was certainly looking forward to. more or less i had a guess by the end i'd either be weirded out or be confused (about asagiri's intention/interpretation)

and now that i'm finished, i can certainly say: What the hell was Kafka Asagiri thinking?..

same goes for any website that advertizes this book as erotic because this is the furthest from that genre, trust me.
anyways, i don't come across examples of talking about sex, desire and so on (or the lack of the said desire, low sex drive et cetera) in the media so that was an interesting read in that sense. yet just like Wild Geese, the story from the start to finish feels static, the few exceptions it doesn't, you forget by the time you reach the end and you're left with a "So that's it?" when you close the book.

[Maaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★

VITA SEXUALIS meaning POWER OF SEX, is an manuscript written by a father to his teenage son, in an attempt to provide him sex education.

In the manuscript, the narrator (the father) goes on to show how sexual encounters at any stage or form could affect a person's psychi. He also raises the thought of equal opportunity for the male as well female to choose spouse. And women should not be considered as "slave" to marry off.

--

I could only think that because of the mention of geisha houses and it's explicit depiction of prostitution in old Japan, had contributed to this book being banned. Other than that there was no explicit sexual description (knowingly neglected) whatsoever because it was written from a father to his son for educational purpose only.
But somewhere along the way, the narrator did feel shame and decide to not pass this to his son.

--

Overall a very chill yet intense read (depending on your prospective).

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically banned (I think mainly for the male gay love in the school) this is a story, diary in the growing up of this Japanese youth. Each year from aged 6 sees his virginity and social upbringing play out in a subtle, of-its-time, of-its-place oriental setting. I liked the understated drive of the narrative but some how by trying to avoid the naturalism of Zola et al the tale lacked passion which I might add so did the youth himself.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a story of how a professor of philosophy lives his life without having enough sexual desire like any normal person does. With this condition he learned, observed, and even tried having it himself but to no avail it was still caged. The book is good, but thats just it. An autobiography.

[Aike]

no idea what i just read

[jona · Rating 5 out of 5]

i died

[Gita Swasti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mori Ogai (17 Februari 1862 – 9 Juli 1922) adalah seorang ahli bedah tentara, birokrat, penerjemah sekaligus novelis. Sepulang dari studinya di Jerman, ia menerbitkan Omokage, sebuah antologi puisi dan novel Maihime (Dancing Girl).

Membicarakan seks, estetika yang mungkin ditemukan bisa jadi tentang erotisme. Erotisme juga tidak bisa lepas dari cara berdialog dengan area yang sering ditolak peredarannya berdasarkan usia, suku, moral, kriteria agama, dll.

Dalam Vita Sexualis, Ogai menggabungkan posisi penulis sebagai pencipta dan sosok warga laki-laki yang menampilkan pengalaman perkotaan sehari-hari. Pengalamannya ia tuangkan dalam gerakan, perubahan. Ia menyerukan proses subjektivasi perihal seksualitasnya.

Vita Sexualis adalah ruang pengalaman lain bagi penulisnya (Mori Ogai). Ruang gerak yang tidak pernah dapat diakses dalam mode representasional lain. "Dunia kesenangan" tidak akan memulai sesuatu yang baru, melainkan menyoroti apa yang dibutuhkan saat ini.

Vita Sexualis juga menjadi literatur yang relevan karena menggambarkan kebutuhan luas untuk berdiskusi. Seni, sastra, dan kemajuan perkotaan juga saling bersatu. Ketiga hal tersebut menciptakan pertumbuhan yang secara instrinsik terkait dengan etika. Mori Ogai menunjukkan bahwa dunia seks, seksualitas dan erotime dipertahankan oleh gagasan bahwa pengetahuan, secara umum, tidak dibangun sendiri.

[Jenna Accurso · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about a man writing about his sexual experiences or, to be more precise, his lack of it due to his low sex drive. It was interesting to read about how one's innocence is played with as they grow older. Purity and innocence can be viewed as beautiful, but it is toyed with by the adults in the story. For example, when the two women were looking at the magazine, the narrator didn't understand what he was looking at or how another character commented about his parent's activities in the bedroom.

While reading the book, I got the feeling the author is trying to tell us you are most capable of love when young and innocent because you have no experience. Being controlled by sexual desire is brought up numerous times, and it can be controlling and passionate. In the story, the author says,

"I suspected that some probably decided under the stimulus of sexual desire. Because I was deficient in this area, I guessed that even if I felt the young lady was quite nice, the deficiency was probably why I didn't want to marry her."

I found the most compelling perspective in the story to be the author's distinction between love and sexual desire.

"Yet even though I had a longing for love and affection, I didn't feel, as one normally would have expected, any real sexual drive."

I enjoyed this story(especially how quick and easy it was to read) and the messages about purity in youth and the difference between love and sexual desire.

[DreaNA * · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read such a book like this one.
I would say it's for mature audience, as the title says.
The story depicts author's love life or how we see these things when we are kids, teenagers and then adults.
In my opinion, author describes quite accurately some parts like as a kid he doesn't understand jokes that adults make.
But there are some ways where I don't think most of people can relate like trying to be pure and clean.
My thought was that he was asexual which would make this book even more interesting but since it's not said anywhere in the story specifically that that's the issue, then it's hard to know where the truth lies.

[Francisco Javier · Rating 2 out of 5]

¿Os acordáis de que ayer dije que ni fu ni fa? Pues bien, me he decidido, malísimo XDDD. No le niego valor literario ni como fuente de información para que un occidental vea la vida japonesa del siglo XIX-XX. Pero en cuanto a su tratamiento del despertar sexual es un completo cero a la izquierda. El autor no se acerca con una mirada neutral, sino que ya ha decidido de antemano que el sexo es negativo. Como colofón, el libro da más protagonismo a las prostitutas que a las mujeres con las que se casa XDDD.

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagino que tocar el tema sexual a principios del siglo XX en Japón era toda una proeza, sin embargo, tanto en la forma en que esta escrito, como su trama, no son muy destacables.
Por la fama del libro respecto a su autor, fue más bien una decepción. De Ogai Mori encontré bastante superiores sus cuentos del libro El Intendente Sancho y la novela El Ganso Salvaje. Así que, si se quiere conocer a este autor, no recomiendo comenzar por éste.