Early Spring and Other Writings

A reader confined to bed turns to an ancient diary and finds its loves and disappointments still alive. In a hotel in Harbin, two people separated for three years listen to each other’s voices across a telephone wire before meeting face to face. At home, a changing garden offers another measure of time: plum blossoms, ripening persimmons, birds in flight, and trees competing for sunlight.

These nine writings by Tayama Katai join intimate fiction with travel sketches and literary reflection. Rivers lead the traveler toward their sources; a solitary ginkgo preserves autumn’s last color. Essays follow the development of Meiji literature and ask whether artistic skill can replace an open heart, while a portrait of Masamune Hakuchō explores intelligence, irony, solitude, and the fear of death.

A major figure in Japanese naturalism, Katai (1872–1930) observes the world with curiosity and intensity. This complete new English translation presents all nine supplied works in collection order, with brief notes on readings, allusions, and textual difficulties. AI-assisted translation, prepared and edited by Valentin Sarić.