Kafu Nagai: 3 books

Geisha in Rivalry, first published as Udekurabe in 1918, has a secure place among Kafu Nagai's masterpieces. Set against the backdrop of Tokyo's Shimbashi geisha district, a company of vivid characters play out their drama of illicit love, shady intrigue, and unrelenting rivalry. In the forefront...

First published in 1937, this is a book both modern and nostalgic. It shows a changing city, its slums, backstreets, temples and shrines, a city filled with erudite establishments and riverside brothels. It shows a man trying to justify his life and a glimpse into the creative process, and is, as well, a gentle eulogy on things passing.

«Evidentemente Kafu, en cuanto escritor naturalista, pretendió tomar el pulso a las costumbres de la sociedad de su época. Hombres de negocios, escritores, actores, camareras o periodistas aparecen a lo largo del relato para ejemplificar, con sus vidas, la forma en que Japón se adentraba a pasos...