A collection of eight short stories from the winner of Japan's highest literary awards, this covers twenty years of Kaiko's career from 1959 to 1979. Set in Vietnam, in the South China Sea, and in the cities and mountains of Japan, the stories introduce a variety of fascinating, obsessive characters strangely different yet immediately familiar. Kaiko is a sensual writer, capturing the smell, taste, sound, and touch of all he describes.

Contents:

• Monster and Toothpick
• Duel
• The Laughingstock
• Building a Shell Mound
• The Crushed Pellet
• The Fishing Hole (Ana
• Five Thousand Runaways
• Festivities by the River