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十二人の手紙
キャバレーのホステスになった修道女の身も心もボロボロの手紙、上京して主人の毒牙にかかった家出少女が弟に送る手紙など、手紙だけが物語る笑いと哀しみがいっぱいの人生ドラマ。
302 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1978
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Hisashi Inoue
64 books14 followersInoue Hisashi (井上 ひさし Inoue Hisashi?, 16 November 1934 – 9 April 2010) was a leading Japanese playwright and writer of comic fiction. From 1961-1986, he used the pen name of Uchiyama Hisashi.
Inoue was born in what is now part of Kawanishi in Yamagata Prefecture, where his father was a pharmacist, who was also involved in an agrarian reform movement and who managed a local drama troupe. For reasons which are not clear, he was listed in the family registry as legitimate. He lost his father when he was 5 years old and after suffering from child abuse at the hands of his stepfather, he was subsequently sent off to a Lasallian orphanage in Sendai, where he received a Christian baptism. He graduated from Sophia University’s Facility of Letters, continuing on to graduate school in French literature, with a two-year hiatus in between to raise more money for his studies by working at a sanatorium in Kamaishi, Iwate.
Even before graduation, Inoue began is literary career as a stage manager and by writing scripts for the Furasu-za striptease theater in Asakusa, Tokyo. It was common to have a one-hour vaudeville performance before and between strip acts, and many famous actors, including Kiyoshi Atsumi started their careers in such an environment. He wrote a semi-fictional account of his life during this period in Mokkinpotto Shi no Atoshimatsu ("The Fortunes of Father Mockinpott"). After graduation, he obtained a position as a script writer for a puppet drama Hyokkori Hyotanjima, which aired from April 1964 for a five year period.
After an initial career in radio, he wrote his first stage play Nihonjin no Heso in 1969 for Theatre Echo. He first gained literary recognition for his satirical comic plays in the tradition of the Edo period gesaku genre. Inoue has won a very large number of literary awards in the course of his career, including the 67th Naoki Prize in 1972 for his novel Tegusari Shinju ("Handcuffed Double Suicide"). He followed on this success in 1981 with Kirikirijin ("The People of Kirikiri"), which was awarded both the Yomiuri Literary Prize and the 2nd Japan Science Fiction Award.
In 1984, Inoue established his own theatre troupe, called Komatsuza, to perform his own plays. These include biographical works on Meiji period writers Ishikawa Takuboku and Higuchi Ichiyō, whom he had long admired. In 1988, he completed a comic trilogy: Kirameku seiza, Yami ni saku hana, Yuki ya kon kon, depicting the lives of ordinary people in the Shōwa period. Despite his activity with the theatre, Inoue continued to write novels, winning the 1982 Seiun Award for Best Novel for Kirikirijin, the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize for Treasury of Disloyal Retainers in 1986, the 27th Tanizaki Prize for Shanghai Moon in 1991, and the Kikuchi Kan Literary Award for Tokyo Seven Roses in 1999. In 1984, the Writer's Block Library was opened in Kawanishi, Yamagata, thanks to Inoue's donation of his 100,000 volume book collection. Inoue was awarded the Asahi Prize in the year 2000 and the Yomiuri Literary Prize again in 2010. In 2004, he was designated a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government.
Chichi to kuraseba, has been translated into the English language by Roger Pulvers under the title The Face of Jizo.
(from Wikipedia)
Inoue was born in what is now part of Kawanishi in Yamagata Prefecture, where his father was a pharmacist, who was also involved in an agrarian reform movement and who managed a local drama troupe. For reasons which are not clear, he was listed in the family registry as legitimate. He lost his father when he was 5 years old and after suffering from child abuse at the hands of his stepfather, he was subsequently sent off to a Lasallian orphanage in Sendai, where he received a Christian baptism. He graduated from Sophia University’s Facility of Letters, continuing on to graduate school in French literature, with a two-year hiatus in between to raise more money for his studies by working at a sanatorium in Kamaishi, Iwate.
Even before graduation, Inoue began is literary career as a stage manager and by writing scripts for the Furasu-za striptease theater in Asakusa, Tokyo. It was common to have a one-hour vaudeville performance before and between strip acts, and many famous actors, including Kiyoshi Atsumi started their careers in such an environment. He wrote a semi-fictional account of his life during this period in Mokkinpotto Shi no Atoshimatsu ("The Fortunes of Father Mockinpott"). After graduation, he obtained a position as a script writer for a puppet drama Hyokkori Hyotanjima, which aired from April 1964 for a five year period.
After an initial career in radio, he wrote his first stage play Nihonjin no Heso in 1969 for Theatre Echo. He first gained literary recognition for his satirical comic plays in the tradition of the Edo period gesaku genre. Inoue has won a very large number of literary awards in the course of his career, including the 67th Naoki Prize in 1972 for his novel Tegusari Shinju ("Handcuffed Double Suicide"). He followed on this success in 1981 with Kirikirijin ("The People of Kirikiri"), which was awarded both the Yomiuri Literary Prize and the 2nd Japan Science Fiction Award.
In 1984, Inoue established his own theatre troupe, called Komatsuza, to perform his own plays. These include biographical works on Meiji period writers Ishikawa Takuboku and Higuchi Ichiyō, whom he had long admired. In 1988, he completed a comic trilogy: Kirameku seiza, Yami ni saku hana, Yuki ya kon kon, depicting the lives of ordinary people in the Shōwa period. Despite his activity with the theatre, Inoue continued to write novels, winning the 1982 Seiun Award for Best Novel for Kirikirijin, the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize for Treasury of Disloyal Retainers in 1986, the 27th Tanizaki Prize for Shanghai Moon in 1991, and the Kikuchi Kan Literary Award for Tokyo Seven Roses in 1999. In 1984, the Writer's Block Library was opened in Kawanishi, Yamagata, thanks to Inoue's donation of his 100,000 volume book collection. Inoue was awarded the Asahi Prize in the year 2000 and the Yomiuri Literary Prize again in 2010. In 2004, he was designated a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government.
Chichi to kuraseba, has been translated into the English language by Roger Pulvers under the title The Face of Jizo.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 7, 2023
小說有些過時，但頗能反映日本於60-70年代的狀況。有些筆鋒一轉，頗有驚喜。
December 14, 2024
以寄信者和收信者間書信往來或其他文件方式交代故事，除去描繪雖然期間有明顯不是跟對方而是對讀者交代之處，例如，明明彼此熟識的A寫信給B會寫到—我家有管園藝的某某和女僕的某某，連我一共三人…等等，但無損其招式之令人耳目一新的效果。
《惡魔》。上京的女孩寫信給家鄉閨密。誤信社長甜言蜜語的純情女，得知從小三身分扶正的諾言是謊言後，失手扼死在身邊嘲笑她是惡魔的老闆女兒。
《輓歌》。女大學生寫給知名劇作家。在信上附上女大學生自己作品實則為竄改名作家早年塵封劇本，名作家惱怒回信。女大生揭曉為辦特展終於得到名作家親筆信的計謀。
《泛紅的手》。以出生證明、死亡證明、戶口申請表格等等，間或孤兒修女院長寫的和最後收到的信，道出私生孤女在基督教孤兒院長大及其不斷墮落無法回頭的一生。
《筆友》。女子與北海道男筆友間的書信往來。其實是辦公室的害羞男同事假借筆友身分好獲得美人芳心的計策，女子在交往後繼續裝傻。
《第三十番善樂寺》。兩個慈善機構間通信，找尋一名擅於繪畫的路倒街友。
《來自隔壁的聲音》。妻子寫信給新婚不多久便被派往澳洲工作的先生，及最後三封信是先生與精神科醫師間的通信。描繪隔壁鄰居太太被其女兒和女婿虐待的過程。其實是妻子幼年創傷導致的精神疾病的結果。
《鑰匙》。妻子與失聰名畫家丈夫間的通信。從報告日常生活的對話忽然成為家中遭竊、藏畫失蹤，同時還發生謀殺的恐怖案件。最後發現是妻子為年長丈夫健康著想，和弟子和謀誘騙大師離開深山的計謀。
《桃子》。富太太和孤兒院修女院長間的通信。雙方在施與受間，不同立場的相左想法。
《灰姑娘之死》。到東京求職的鄉下女孩與高中老師間的通信。女孩陳述離鄉原因和大都市的孤女遭遇，最後以自殺做終。最後兩封警方和高中行政部門的信才揭曉，所有的信件對話不論是寄出和收到都是女孩自己編寫的遭遇，甚至連收件者老師也是虛構的。
《飛上枝頭當鳳凰》。學生與老師的通信。鄉下女學生到東京後迫於現實（老闆願意支付父親的龐大醫藥費），與家鄉老師情人分手。嫁入豪門的生活不如預期單純，在流產無法生育後，被迫離婚。
《養父》。女兒寫給父親的信。陳述在酒吧工作認識的男人、並與之同居的經過。男子是文學大師的跟班，出道之日遙遙無期，直到發現大師剽竊其靈感，於是憤而下手殺害。不料卻發現，一切只是誤會一場。
《泥和雪》。社長夫人與昔日高中追求者間的通信。最後一封信才揭露其實是社長的外遇對象設計，讓一直不願意簽字離婚的社長夫人掉進虛設的愛情陷阱中。
《人質》。前面故事中的十八名角色碰巧齊聚同一家旅館，其中幾人紀錄筆記陳述事件經過。第一個故事被始亂終棄的女子，在失手殺害負心社長的女兒服刑期滿出獄，她的弟弟以身上炸彈要脅，釋放旅館人質的條件是與姊姊見面。在人質釋放之際，姊姊的社長卻因開窗逃跑墜死在地面上堅若岩石的雪堆。看似意外，實則是樁精心設計的復仇計畫。
佩服作者憑藉信件陳述就可以說個故事，更厲害的是總在最後來個意想不到的轉折。以前國文老師說的，好作文的結尾要像豹子的尾巴那樣，「啪的！」用力鞭那麼一下。這本書的其中好幾篇，看完大概都會得到這樣的感覺。
有意思的是，故事中的主人翁/受害者好幾位都是從鄉下到大都市來的單身女子，因為涉世未深而誤入險惡的關係中。不但沒能全身而退，更多的是落入精神異常、自殺…的悲慘下場。
真希望看到多一點不是「弱者，你的名字叫女人」題材的故事啊！
《惡魔》。上京的女孩寫信給家鄉閨密。誤信社長甜言蜜語的純情女，得知從小三身分扶正的諾言是謊言後，失手扼死在身邊嘲笑她是惡魔的老闆女兒。
《輓歌》。女大學生寫給知名劇作家。在信上附上女大學生自己作品實則為竄改名作家早年塵封劇本，名作家惱怒回信。女大生揭曉為辦特展終於得到名作家親筆信的計謀。
《泛紅的手》。以出生證明、死亡證明、戶口申請表格等等，間或孤兒修女院長寫的和最後收到的信，道出私生孤女在基督教孤兒院長大及其不斷墮落無法回頭的一生。
《筆友》。女子與北海道男筆友間的書信往來。其實是辦公室的害羞男同事假借筆友身分好獲得美人芳心的計策，女子在交往後繼續裝傻。
《第三十番善樂寺》。兩個慈善機構間通信，找尋一名擅於繪畫的路倒街友。
《來自隔壁的聲音》。妻子寫信給新婚不多久便被派往澳洲工作的先生，及最後三封信是先生與精神科醫師間的通信。描繪隔壁鄰居太太被其女兒和女婿虐待的過程。其實是妻子幼年創傷導致的精神疾病的結果。
《鑰匙》。妻子與失聰名畫家丈夫間的通信。從報告日常生活的對話忽然成為家中遭竊、藏畫失蹤，同時還發生謀殺的恐怖案件。最後發現是妻子為年長丈夫健康著想，和弟子和謀誘騙大師離開深山的計謀。
《桃子》。富太太和孤兒院修女院長間的通信。雙方在施與受間，不同立場的相左想法。
《灰姑娘之死》。到東京求職的鄉下女孩與高中老師間的通信。女孩陳述離鄉原因和大都市的孤女遭遇，最後以自殺做終。最後兩封警方和高中行政部門的信才揭曉，所有的信件對話不論是寄出和收到都是女孩自己編寫的遭遇，甚至連收件者老師也是虛構的。
《飛上枝頭當鳳凰》。學生與老師的通信。鄉下女學生到東京後迫於現實（老闆願意支付父親的龐大醫藥費），與家鄉老師情人分手。嫁入豪門的生活不如預期單純，在流產無法生育後，被迫離婚。
《養父》。女兒寫給父親的信。陳述在酒吧工作認識的男人、並與之同居的經過。男子是文學大師的跟班，出道之日遙遙無期，直到發現大師剽竊其靈感，於是憤而下手殺害。不料卻發現，一切只是誤會一場。
《泥和雪》。社長夫人與昔日高中追求者間的通信。最後一封信才揭露其實是社長的外遇對象設計，讓一直不願意簽字離婚的社長夫人掉進虛設的愛情陷阱中。
《人質》。前面故事中的十八名角色碰巧齊聚同一家旅館，其中幾人紀錄筆記陳述事件經過。第一個故事被始亂終棄的女子，在失手殺害負心社長的女兒服刑期滿出獄，她的弟弟以身上炸彈要脅，釋放旅館人質的條件是與姊姊見面。在人質釋放之際，姊姊的社長卻因開窗逃跑墜死在地面上堅若岩石的雪堆。看似意外，實則是樁精心設計的復仇計畫。
佩服作者憑藉信件陳述就可以說個故事，更厲害的是總在最後來個意想不到的轉折。以前國文老師說的，好作文的結尾要像豹子的尾巴那樣，「啪的！」用力鞭那麼一下。這本書的其中好幾篇，看完大概都會得到這樣的感覺。
有意思的是，故事中的主人翁/受害者好幾位都是從鄉下到大都市來的單身女子，因為涉世未深而誤入險惡的關係中。不但沒能全身而退，更多的是落入精神異常、自殺…的悲慘下場。
真希望看到多一點不是「弱者，你的名字叫女人」題材的故事啊！
June 13, 2021
さすが井上ひさし。
似たような感じの書簡集ミステリは読んだ事あるはずだけど、これは変にまとまりが良いわけでないので、余計にリアルだった。
そして、これの書かれた1970年代も2021年の今もそう変わらない(女性の境遇という意味では)んだな、と感じた。
最後の最後で今まで手紙のやりとりや、公文書で見てきた人々のその後をちらっと見られるのは良かった。(正義がなされた、とも言えるかも、ある物語の登場人物にとっては)
どの物語も、一捻りあるが、昨今のミステリにある「最後の最後でもう一捻り！」みたいな無理がないのもリアルだ。
内容だけなら3.5くらいだが、そもそもこの本に興味を持ったのが表紙デザインの為なので、デザインの良さで星4つに。
封筒の中から見えるハートの女王はなんなんだろう。
(確か十二国記の最新刊を買う時に、この本も平積みになってた。何故だ？井上ひさしが亡くなった時だったのか？？)
似たような感じの書簡集ミステリは読んだ事あるはずだけど、これは変にまとまりが良いわけでないので、余計にリアルだった。
そして、これの書かれた1970年代も2021年の今もそう変わらない(女性の境遇という意味では)んだな、と感じた。
最後の最後で今まで手紙のやりとりや、公文書で見てきた人々のその後をちらっと見られるのは良かった。(正義がなされた、とも言えるかも、ある物語の登場人物にとっては)
どの物語も、一捻りあるが、昨今のミステリにある「最後の最後でもう一捻り！」みたいな無理がないのもリアルだ。
内容だけなら3.5くらいだが、そもそもこの本に興味を持ったのが表紙デザインの為なので、デザインの良さで星4つに。
封筒の中から見えるハートの女王はなんなんだろう。
(確か十二国記の最新刊を買う時に、この本も平積みになってた。何故だ？井上ひさしが亡くなった時だったのか？？)
March 23, 2023
這本很好看喔！12篇的信件都很有文趣及推理性；從這些故事中，也可以感受到作者長年累積的寬厚與包容。
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June 9, 2024还算有意思，但短篇书信体的发挥空间也不是太大吧。
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