National Network for Equitable Library Service

A great classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with an introduction by noted scholar David J. Gundry. The culmination of Saikaku's perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year's Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year's custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries. The new introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today. The finely crafted tales include stories of: Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistresses. Hustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business trips. Connivers who become actors for a day to hide in plain sight on stage. "The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the great divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver."—Ihara Saikaku.