Photo/Illutration Author Naoya Shiga (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

While the Spanish flu raged in autumn 1918, author Naoya Shiga (1883-1971) repeatedly ordered his family and servants to avoid crowds and refrain from unnecessary outings.

He was so irate when he found out his housemaid had secretly gone to see a play, he threatened to fire her.          

For all his persistent nagging, however, Shiga himself became infected with the flu, according to "Ryuko Kanbo" (Influenza), a novella inspired by his personal experiences.

He ran a fever close to 40 degrees, and his legs and hips felt heavy. Before long, his wife and daughter also came down with the flu.

But the housemaid he'd almost sacked was fine, probably because she had acquired immunity. She nursed them all with devotion, and Shiga chided himself for his short temper.

I reread "Ryuko Kanbo" after historian Michifumi Isoda noted in his recent publication that the book contains "numerous lessons" applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indeed, Shiga's fussiness is completely reasonable with respect to avoiding "sanmitsu"--confined spaces, enclosed spaces and close contact. And his irascible behavior and sharp tongue remind me of people "policing" others who fail to practice "self-restraint."

The novel also teaches us that people who have acquired immunity ahead of us ought to be treated with respect, Isoda noted.

At the time of the Spanish flu, Shiga and his family resided in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture. The waves of contagion, which kept returning just when the situation finally appeared to be under control, repeatedly shook up the author even though he was a mature man of discretion.

His depiction of those unsettling and uncertain days reads like fine reportage.  

After I finished reading it, I visited his restored study at the former site of his residence in Abiko. It is a modest "6-jo" room (approximately 9 square meters).           

Looking at its pillars, shoji paper sliding doors and "tokonoma" alcove, I imagined hearing the voice of this literary great, desperate to protect his little girl by doing everything to prevent infection. 

His fever quickly receded. After recovery, he published his masterpieces one after another, including "Kozo no Kamisama" (The shop boy's guardian deity) and "Anya Koro" (A Dark Night's Passing).

Oct. 21 marks the anniversary of his death in 1971 at age 88.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 20   

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News