MAIHIME

   The story of “Maihime” (1890; tr. The Dancing Girl, 1948) is based on author Mori Ogai’s own experiences studying medicine in Germany. His first published story, it describes a Japanese exchange student and a German dancing girl who fall in love in Berlin. When he is called back to Japan and ultimately chooses his career over the relationship, the dancer has a nervous breakdown and he is left with bitter regrets. The story underscored the tensions of Japan’s contemporary foreign relations challenges, and its autobiographical component has led to generations of scholarly speculation on the identity of the girl and the degree of correspondence with Ogai’s life.

   See also I-NOVELS.