Mori Ogai
Military surgeon and writer who introduced European literary naturalism to Japan. He is celebrated for both his historical fiction and his early autobiographical novels reflecting the tensions between tradition and modernity.
Works
- The Wild GooseNovella about a mistress kept by an older man in isolation
- Vita SexualisSemi-autobiographical account of protagonist's sexual awakening and development
- Sancho DayuDrama of a man's redemption through artistic sacrifice and renunciation
- Abe IchizokuMultigenerational portrait of an ambitious merchant family's rise and decline