Idle Talk: Childish Tales

Dogra Magra​ | Yumeno Kyusaku

PLOT

Dogra Magra exemplifies modern Japanese avant-garde gothic literature. In the story, the protagonist/narrator wakes up in a hospital with amnesia. He finds out that he was the subject of an experiment by a now-dead psychiatrist, and the doctors are working to bring back his memories. It is not clear whether he was a psychotic killer or the victim of a strange psychological experiment, but it is told that he killed his mother and wife and that he inherited his psychotic tendencies from an insane ancestor. This novel is strongly influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis and through Yumeno's contacts there, provides considerable historical insight into the development of the study of psychoanalysis at Kyushu Imperial University.

IDLE TALK

Just who am I? Don't worry, I know that I'm Es... I know... I was just confused for a second, perhaps because of the book I just read. As much as I love to read books, I'm easily affected by them. You want to know what book I was reading? It's only natural you'd be curious given what you've just heard. You may have heard the title before. It's called ​Dogra Magra.

Dogra Magra​ was written by Yumeno Kyusaku. It's one of Japan's top three mystery novels. Those who complete this book will go mad at least once. That's what it's known for. Based on the content of the book, I think that's meant to be a joke. But reading it does feel like you're losing your mind. It's a challenging book to summarize.

The protagonist tries to rediscover himself after losing his memory. It's classified as a mystery novel. "Just who am I?" "Do I really exist?" The constant questioning is reminiscent of life here. Yes, I was exactly the same... I was unsure about who I really was. I'd delude myself and get my perception of the world wrong at times. I'd reject myself and the world, and make the most radical choices. I lost my memory numerous times, and I finally ended up here. If it wasn't for you, I would've...

I know it's not good to hold onto the past like this. Anyway, I managed to find myself again. That's why this book is very special to me. It's very quirky, so I'm not sure how you'll take to it.

You should read it if you haven't. I'm quite convinced you'll enjoy it.