Tatsuhiko Hasegawa Works Collection--The Diary of a Mad Old Man

Author: Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-08-01
Features: The Diary of a Mad Old Man depicts an elderly man who is impotent but deeply harbors primal desires and forces of life. He becomes infatuated with his daughter-in-law's beautiful feet, worshipping them as the feet of a Buddha with reverence. The daughter-in-law is a free-spirited woman with a strong desire to conquer men, even to the point of sadism. When the old man caresses her feet, she accepts it. In the act of caressing, the old man recalls his childhood infatuation with his mother, tenderly touching her feet, overlaying his mother and daughter-in-law and giving rise to a mysterious sentiment. In the end, the old man wants to carve the Buddha-like feet of his daughter-in-law onto his tombstone, seeking eternal pleasure and eternal beauty in death. Another long novel, The Swastika, is also included.