Hiratsuka's first collection of stories for children. Hiratsuka, as well as Niimi Nankichi and Yoda Jun'ichi, began his career as a contributor to a magazine Akai Tori [Red Bird]. (These young authors of this era used to be the readers of Taisho era stories and verses for children.)
The title piece, "Kaze to Hanabira," illustrates the life story
of a woman named Chiyo, from her young days till she becomes middle aged.
Hiratsuka vividly describes the life and customs of common people, which
was outstanding, as other realistic writers tended to concentrate on the
expression of people's states of mind. Chiyo lived through the days of
Russo-Japanese War, the Kanto Great Earthquake, and the Pacific War, and
tried to pursue her own happiness. As it was said that selfless living
for the nation was an ideal in those days, the character of Chiyo can be
regarded as a sort of protest against the nationalistic tendency. At the
same time, the description of December 8, 1941 (the day when the Pacific
War broke out with the attack on Pearl Harbor) at the end of this story
reflects the current of thought of those days. (This part was greatly changed
after the War.) Three more stories are included in this collection. |
