Bambole di Cristallo. Nagai Kafū a Ginza, 1931-1934

Tsuyu no atosaki (1931) was the first fictional work written by Nagai Kafū after a long silence. Tanizaki described the novel as a vivid and exhaustive «popular story» of the life in Tokyo during the Shōwa period, whereas other influential figures, such as Kawabata, did not appreciate it, especially because of its characters, whose personalities and inner feelings appear superficial and not very carefully sketched. Despite the value assigned to the writing itself, however, what the comments on Tsuyu no atosaki have in common is the acknowledgment of the Ginza district as a fundamental function within the narrative rather than a mere backdrop. In my paper I argue that Kafū’s production of 1931-1934 represents an attempt at considering the district in a historical perspective in order to emphasize the inevitable transformation of the pleasure quarters into mirrors of the «real world».