The Crypt in the City Satō Haruo#39;s Monument to EA Poe.pdfVIP

Japan Review , 2010, 22: 125–135 h e Crypt in the City: Satō Haruo’s Monument to E. A. Poe Charles Exley University of Montana, Missoula, U.S.A Satō Haruo, a prominent writer of the prewar period known for introspective fantasy in such Taishō classics as Den’en no yūutsu, experimented often at this time with the Western literature popular in his day as a tool to make sense of twentieth century Japan. In the 1919 short story “Aojiroi netsujō,” he demonstrates his close engagement with the work of Edgar Allan Poe. h e close reading of the story of ered here helps to connect Satō to several of the popular literary currents of that period. Satō’s characters recite “Annabel Lee” in English, they act out Poe’s poem, and Satō himself recreates Poe’s mood and writing style. h is act of commemoration also suggests the range and manner of Satō’s appropriation of this most inl uential American writer. Keywords: modern Japanese literature, Satō Haruo, E. A. Poe, Gothic, “Annabel Lee” Introduction Satō Haruo 佐藤春夫 (1892–1964) was one of the great literary minds of the twentieth century. His i fty years of literary activity span the late Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa periods. Ta- nizaki Jun’ichiro 谷崎潤一郎 (1886–1965), Kobayashi Hideo 小林秀雄 (1902–1983), and others recognized the breadth of his artistic talent soon after his debut in the literary world. While his extensive artistic production includes such genres as i ction, oil painting, poetry, es- says, i lm scenarios, and drama, he is perhaps best remembered today in Japan as a poet. Satō’s work engaged with compelling social, literary, and artistic concerns of early twentieth century Japanese culture at the moment when urbanization and industrialization gave rise to mass culture. Satō appeared