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ENTRY

Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011

The Devil’s Disciple
Shirō Hamao

Japanese literature has a rich and thriving mystery genre, some of the more well-known authors are Seichō Matsumoto (“Inspector Imanishi Investigates”), Edogawa Rampo (creator of detective hero Kogorō Akechi), and Natsuo Kirino (“Out”). Shirō Hamao is less well known, likely because he wrote only a few works in his short-lived writing career in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Hamao had an interesting life, born into one of the most prestigious families and married into another and taking his wife’s family name and his adopted father’s title of Viscount. He studied law and became a prosecutor at the young age of thirty-six. At this time he was also writing fiction and resigned three years into his prosecutorial career to devote his life to writing. Before dying at age forty-one, he published three novels and seventeen novellas.

Hamao was a unique writer, not only because of his background, but because of his writing style and themes. The two novellas in this book, for example, fit under the genre unapologetically known then as ero-guro-nansensu, “erotic grotesque nonsense.” Hamao particularly included homosexuality and other themes of sexuality in his works. Another of his predominate themes comes from his apparent disillusionment with the legal system, and his stories are often critical of it.

The title story in this book, "The Devil’s Disciple," combines both themes. The main character in the story is waiting for trial for a murder he didn’t commit, but the twisted circumstances of the death ironically make him more than guilty. Added to the narrator’s questionable account is the fact that prosecutor in his case was his lover in school. The accused murderer not only blames the prosecutor for getting the case all wrong, but also blames him for creating his murderous inclinations.

The second novella, "Did He Kill Them?", is a who-done-it presented as a lecture given by a barrister to a group of detective fiction writers. In this case, the narrator is not at all like the frantically angry and desperate narrator in the first story, but similarly he does imply that less thoughtful members of his profession would fall for the obvious and not pursue the more hidden truth. A deeply psychological story, the plot revolves around a complex heterosexual and homosexual love quadrangle that ends in murder.

Hamao’s stories are an interesting window looking back into pre-war Japan, with its rising militarism. His style is dated, reminding me of the pulpy mystery magazines written under the names of Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. But his themes are modern, even timely, and his works are just plain good stories. I hope more of them will be translated.

© 2013

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 2
click here to add a comment

Lee Witte
Sounds like my kind of mystery!

Jo Reed
“erotic grotesque nonsense” ... LOL

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

Review: Paprika
April 21, 2013 (3)

Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves
March 30, 2013 (1)

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Feb. 28, 2013 (2)

Review: Salvation of a Saint
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Review: Ninja
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Review: My Postwar Life
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New interview with Colin Marshall
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Book events
April 25, 2012 (2)

Subduction
March 14, 2012 (8)

Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012 (1)

Review: Plainsong
December 20, 2011 (3)

Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011 (2)

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October 5, 2011 (2)

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September 25, 2011 (2)

Characters: The Bully
July 30, 2011 (3)

Review: Manazuru
June 28, 2011 (2)

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June 24, 2011 (2)

Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011 (1)

Review: Isle of Dreams
April 20, 2011 (2)

Cades Award for Literature press release
April 12, 2011 (2)

Japan and other news
March 29, 2011 (1)

Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011 (2)

2010 review
December 17, 2010 (6)

Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa
October 7, 2010 (2)

OH! wins best book award
September 23, 2010 (2)

Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)

Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)

Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)

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Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)

Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)

Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)

Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)

Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)

J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)

2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)

Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)

Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)

Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)

Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)

Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)

Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)

The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)

Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)

The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)

Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)

Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)

Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)

Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)

The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)

John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)

Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)

Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)

The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)

David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)

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September 12, 2008 (2)

The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)

Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)

"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)

Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
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Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)

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June 10, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)

Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)

The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 The Devil’s Disciple Shirō Hamao Japanese literature has a rich and thriving mystery genre, some of the more well-known authors are Seichō Matsumoto (“Inspector Imanishi Investigates”), Edogawa Rampo (creator of detective hero Kogorō Akechi), and Natsuo Kirino (“Out”). Shirō Hamao is less well known, likely because he wrote only a few works in his short-lived writing career in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Hamao had an interesting life, born into one of the most prestigious families and married into another and taking his wife’s family name and his adopted father’s title of Viscount. He studied law and became a prosecutor at the young age of thirty-six. At this time he was also writing fiction and resigned three years into his prosecutorial career to devote his life to writing. Before dying at age forty-one, he published three novels and seventeen novellas. Hamao was a unique writer, not only because of his background, but because of his writing style and themes. The two novellas in this book, for example, fit under the genre unapologetically known then as ero-guro-nansensu, “erotic grotesque nonsense.” Hamao particularly included homosexuality and other themes of sexuality in his works. Another of his predominate themes comes from his apparent disillusionment with the legal system, and his stories are often critical of it. The title story in this book, "The Devil’s Disciple," combines both themes. The main character in the story is waiting for trial for a murder he didn’t commit, but the twisted circumstances of the death ironically make him more than guilty. Added to the narrator’s questionable account is the fact that prosecutor in his case was his lover in school. The accused murderer not only blames the prosecutor for getting the case all wrong, but also blames him for creating his murderous inclinations. The second novella, "Did He Kill Them?", is a who-done-it presented as a lecture given by a barrister to a group of detective fiction writers. In this case, the narrator is not at all like the frantically angry and desperate narrator in the first story, but similarly he does imply that less thoughtful members of his profession would fall for the obvious and not pursue the more hidden truth. A deeply psychological story, the plot revolves around a complex heterosexual and homosexual love quadrangle that ends in murder. Hamao’s stories are an interesting window looking back into pre-war Japan, with its rising militarism. His style is dated, reminding me of the pulpy mystery magazines written under the names of Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. But his themes are modern, even timely, and his works are just plain good stories. I hope more of them will be translated. © 2013	COMMENTS Number of comments: 2 click here to add a comment Lee Witte Sounds like my kind of mystery! Jo Reed “erotic grotesque nonsense” ... LOL	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Paprika April 21, 2013 (3) Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves March 30, 2013 (1) Gripping writing Feb. 28, 2013 (2) Review: Salvation of a Saint January 19, 2013 (2) 2012 in review December 30, 2012 (2) Review: Ninja September 30, 2012 (2) Review: My Postwar Life August 21, 2012 (1) New interview with Colin Marshall July 15, 2012 (3) Book events April 25, 2012 (2) Subduction March 14, 2012 (8) Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 (1) Review: Plainsong December 20, 2011 (3) Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 (2) Haruki Murakami October 5, 2011 (2) Busyness and demons September 25, 2011 (2) Characters: The Bully July 30, 2011 (3) Review: Manazuru June 28, 2011 (2) Deadlines! June 24, 2011 (2) Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 (1) Review: Isle of Dreams April 20, 2011 (2) Cades Award for Literature press release April 12, 2011 (2) Japan and other news March 29, 2011 (1) Borders bankruptcy February 17, 2011 (2) 2010 review December 17, 2010 (6) Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa October 7, 2010 (2) OH! wins best book award September 23, 2010 (2) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)