The Wild Goose

Ōgai Mori · 1862–1922 · Japan

Originally Gan (Japanese) · translated by Kingo Ochiai and Sanford Goldstein

Why it matters

A moneylender's mistress and the student who quietly watches her from afar circle desire that never quite finds release. Restrained, elegant prose from one of the two founding masters of the modern Japanese novel.

At a glance

Restrained, classically balanced prose with a simple, single-thread plot.