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The Thirteenth Night

Ichiyō Higuchi

3.92/5 (90 ratings)

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The Thirteenth Night is a short story that follows Oseki Harada, a woman married to an abusive man. She leaves her home, leaving her child behind, in order to seek permission from her parents for a divorce.

Ichiyō Higuchi's harsh honesty about the problems of late nineteenth-century life in Japan, and her detailed descriptions of both scenery and what is going on in each character's mind, fit the story into the genre of poetic realism. Higuchi's piece is also a major contribution to fiction of the era on the condition of women.

The Thirteenth Night first appeared in the December 1895 edition of Bungei kurabu magazine, a special issue devoted to female writers. It received positive reviews for its language and polished style.

Ichiyō Higuchi (1872-1896) was a Japanese writer from the Meiji Period. She was Japan's first professional female writer of modern literature, specialising in short stories and poetry, and also an extensive diarist.