A superb introduction to modern Japanese fiction as well as a memoir of Keene's love affair with Japanese literature, this volume consists of chapters on: Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, Ryotaro Shiba, and Kobo Abe. Each chapter opens with a vignette describing Keene's personal encounters with these writers, blending autobiographical observations with literary and cultural analysis.