The Demon in the Heart and Other Stories

A merchant watches every glance his wife gives another man. A small boy searches for the mother who has left him. A minister’s wife, outwardly fortunate, grieves over a father whose whereabouts she cannot discover.

The Demon in the Heart and Other Stories brings together three complete works by Shimizu Shikin. Through closely observed dialogue and sharply shifting perspectives, these stories expose the wounds hidden beneath family duty, respectable marriages, and public admiration. A child’s hunger interrupts adult excuses; jealousy turns affection into confinement; a concealed family history tests what equality means beyond political speeches.

Written in the late Meiji period, the collection moves from domestic tragedy to compassionate encounter and social critique. This new English edition preserves every story’s original conclusion and publication statement, with notes explaining difficult readings, period references, wordplay, and historical discriminatory terminology. AI-assisted translation.