Dreaming of a Butterfly and Other Writings

A butterfly spreads thick, paperlike wings inside a room; a bed embraces its sleeper with velvet arms; a lonely dog howls toward treasures hidden beneath a graveyard. In Dreaming of a Butterfly, Hagiwara Sakutarō gathers poems of longing, estrangement, unsettling desire, and the strange life of the modern city.

Five further writings surround the complete poetry collection. Hagiwara revisits Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s work after his death, defends the neglected poet Kanbara Ariake, remembers the warmth and rustic manner of Wakayama Bokusui, and reveals the contradictory temperament of a figure he calls S. His criticism is sharp, his affection candid, and his reflections on literary friendship are marked by regret.

All six supplied works appear in full, including the poetry collection’s preface, both parts, verse poems, and four prose poems. Thirty-two notes explain names, literary movements, poetic images, historical language, and publication details. This collection offers an intimate encounter with a poet who found artistic unity in the contradictions that troubled his life.