Chapter 56 Section ten

In the course of my investigation a topic arose.I have a question. What is the content of Kikuchi's works that Akutagawa once praised sincerely?Akutagawa was moved by which part of the article? In Akutagawa's articles, Kikuchi's "The Journey of Zhong Naoqing", "The Other Side of Enmity", and "Bliss" will be mentioned.None of these essays, however, evoke the narrator's enthusiasm.So, in a simple sentence, as long as you say "no" works that moved Akutagawa from the bottom of your heart, will it be enough?Flipping through "The Complete Works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke", I gradually began to have this idea.

Unexpectedly, I actually found it.A letter from Akutagawa from Tabata on September 22, Taisho 8, to Tadao Suga.Above, there is such a sentence: "I think Kikuchi's one-act play published in Chuo Koron is very good. What do you think?" Although Akutagawa has always been considerate and considerate, he didn't say this directly to the person involved.Instead, he expressed "very good" to the third party, which is an exceptional praise. The play that Kikuchi published in "Chuo Koron" in September of that year was "Sequence".If Akutagawa was really that moved, he would definitely write a letter to Kikuchi. It's a pity that he didn't save it.In any case, in short, I think it is necessary to look for it, but it is a pity that the general anthology of literature is not included.I had no choice but to look for "The Complete Works of Kikuchi Kan" while going to the Library of Congress.

However, not being able to see it right away can still be dissatisfying.So, I re-read Kikuchi's short stories in Bungeishunju's "Contemporary Japanese Literature Museum".Ingenious, ingenious.Akutagawa's adjective "rough" is still in his mind, so he has this feeling. The topic is pointed out at the beginning of the article, and the writing is simple and clear, which has always been regarded as Kikuchi's fatal flaw.Presumably because one plus one alone cannot form a novel. It is said that Basho once said, "What's the use of all the details." So what if you finish talking about everything?In fact, it is not limited to haiku.This sentence can only be nodded in agreement.If you are writing a dissertation, you really need to explain it in detail.However, the value of the novel is not there.

In high school, the teacher would tell an anecdote: A certain writer whose works are difficult to understand, was questioned by his play, "What exactly do you want to express?" His answer was "I don't know either." Probably because he thought the other party was asking a stupid question, so he just slapped it casually.But at the same time, it also shows that this is not something that can be clearly explained.If it can be explained, it should be good.However, that is just an "explanation", and the second time you are asked, you may not have the same answer; it is even less likely to become a "standard answer" for every audience.

Otherwise, creation in the name of comments would be useless. If the author repeatedly uses the subtraction of "explanation", leaving nothing on the stage, or even the stage can no longer be used for subtraction, the lights shining on the stage must be just a waste of electricity bills. In the novel, the reader is, of course, the audience and the director as well as the actor.There must be a hundred plays for a hundred readers.This is different from mathematical calculations.Fiction doesn't give everyone the same answer. I am so convinced. So, when it comes to Kikuchi's works, there are indeed some places where it seems to be giving a speech from the front (this is in terms of posture).If borrowed from Akutagawa, it may be close to "the bisector of the apex of an equilateral triangle divides the base into two."However, I couldn't help clapping my knees and sighing ingeniously, ingeniously.I didn't shake my head and lament the shallowness, the shallowness.I don't think I'm mistaken.Then there must be something in it, what makes me think so, is Kikuchi's strong personality.

This book, in addition to the commentary of the Bungeishunju edition, also has commentary. The writer is a famous short story writer, Nagai Tatsuo who also worked as an editor under Kikuchi.It is impossible for him not to participate in the selection of works.I didn't pay attention in high school, but now I know what Kikuchi's "masterpiece" is.So just looking at the catalog, you can understand the characteristics of this book.From the very beginning of the novel, "The Journey of Zhong Zhiqing" and "The Other Side of Enmity" were played at the beginning.Then came his first novel "Suicide Relief Industry" (speaking of which, Kikuchi has other works that also write about committing suicide by drowning).Afterwards, the arrangement in chronological order is rather ordinary, but the inclusion of "Victory and Loss" and "Troubled Times" should be due to Nagai's special insight.I am convinced.When it comes to ingenuity, for example, "Troubled Times" is a very ingenious work.

Rereading this book in this way, guessing what moved Akutagawa in "Sequence", made me more excited and looking forward to it.