Idioma original: Japanese
Original title: dog / Linden
Translation: Ivan Diaz Sancho
Year of publication: 1924 / 1931
Valuation: Alright
Dogs It compiles two stories by the Japanese writer Naka Kansuke that are strongly influenced by Romanticism and Buddhism. Both are full of sadness, misfortune and pessimism.
The short novel that gives the book its title (1924) is set in medieval India during the Muslim invasion, although in portraying this context it falls into some stereotypes and takes certain historical liberties. It works as a metaphor (not exactly subtle, it must be said) of the bestiality that dwells in humans and contains some rather gruesome descriptions.
It is about an old Brahmin who lives in a hut in the middle of the forest and begins to desire a beautiful and innocent young woman who prays to a nearby statue of the monkey god; in order to possess her, he transforms himself and her into dogs.
“In the Shade of the Bodhi Tree” (1931), a story that Kansuke originally wrote for a friend’s daughter, is vaguely reminiscent of the Pygmalion myth. In it, a sculptor creates a replica of his deceased daughter and his assistant, who loved her in life, calls upon the gods to breathe life into his master’s work.
Let it be said in advance that nNone of Kansuke’s stories struck me as remarkable. They are marred by several flaws: prose that tends toward over-explanation, plots that drag on too long because of it, and some repetitive scenes, as well as extremely flat and linear characters. Even so, I admit that they serve their purpose as misanthropic fables and that they have some noteworthy sections. From “Dogs”, which I liked a lot more than its successor, I would highlight, for example, its premise and some gruesome scenes; from “The Bodhi Tree”, on the other hand, I would only rescue its fantastic touches.
Source: https://unlibroaldia.blogspot.com/2024/07/naka-kansuke-perros.html
