Description
This Crafty World
Book Summary
A classic of Japanese picaresque literature that portrays, with sharp irony, the eternal human comedy. Set in the bustling Japan of the Edo period, the work follows a gallery of unforgettable characters—shrewd merchants, cunning courtesans, and stingy wives—who struggle to survive in a world where cunning is the most valuable currency. Saikaku Ihara employs agile prose and scathing humor to reveal the social mechanisms operating beneath the surface of appearances, offering a reading that is as entertaining as it is revealing about human nature.
What is it about?
The narrative is set in the final days of the year, when Japanese cities are boiling with activity and their inhabitants must settle debts and close accounts. In this setting, King Money imposes its rules, and cunning becomes an essential tool for survival. Through a succession of vibrant short stories, the reader witnesses the maneuvers of ruined samurai negotiating their honor, clever apprentices climbing the social ladder, and courtesans who skillfully pull the threads of desire and deceit. As in the best Spanish picaresque novels—Lázaro de Tormes or Guzmán de Alfarache—the characters glide through a world where virtue is negotiable and wit becomes a vital necessity for thriving or simply surviving.
Main Themes
- Picaresque and cunning as survival strategies in a hierarchical society.
- The power of money and its ability to disrupt the social and moral order.
- Power relations between social classes: samurai, merchants, and commoners.
- Irony and humor as tools for social criticism and portrait of the human condition.
- Desire, greed, and betrayal as engines of human relationships in Edo-period Japan.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in classical Japanese literature, especially those looking for a work that combines social criticism with humor and irony. It will also be attractive to those who enjoy picaresque narrative, stories of marginalized characters who manage to get ahead, and any curious reader who wishes to know a lucid and entertaining vision of 17th-century Japanese society, beyond the tropes of the samurai and the haiku.
What this book offers
- A unique window into the daily life and customs of Edo-period Japan, through a critical and fun lens.
- A masterpiece of universal picaresque literature, comparable to the great Spanish classics of the genre.
- An agile and enjoyable read, thanks to the vibrant prose and short episodes that maintain constant interest.
- A profound reflection on human nature, money, and power, presented with intelligent humor that invites reflection.
- The pleasure of discovering one of the most important novelists in Japanese literature, praised by experts like Donald Keene.
Technical Data
- Author: IHARA, SAIKAKU
- Publisher: SATORI EDICIONES C.B.
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION, CLASSICAL FICTION
- Collection: MASTERS OF JAPANESE LITERATURE
- Binding: Paperback
- Edition date: September 2025
- Number of pages: 224
- Weight: 300 g
Editorial Assessment
This edition of "This Crafty World" recovers a fundamental work of Japanese literature that, despite its age, remains surprisingly relevant. Saikaku Ihara achieves what few classical authors manage: to be both a faithful chronicler of his time and a timeless observer of the human condition. His ironic gaze and his ability to portray social contradictions make this book an essential read for those seeking to understand the roots of modern Japanese narrative. The paperback format by Satori Ediciones, within their "Masters of Japanese Literature" collection, facilitates access to this masterpiece, presented with a careful translation and a design that invites reading.