The novel “The Citadel” stuns with its professional historical accuracy, almost cruel eroticism, passionate feminism, classical sophistication of style and completely un-Japanese frankness. Its author is a classic of the 20th century. Fumiko Enchi (1905–1986) will recreate with photographic precision Japan at the beginning of the turning point, rich in passions of the Meiji era. The story of the family of an influential official, stubbornly living according to the old feudal way of life, despite the revolutionary transformations taking place in the country, is perceived not as a banal love story, but as a deep psychological study of amazing brightness and drama. The narrative is like a whirlpool, seething under the mirror surface of water. Furious, almost insane notes sound as if on mute, vice is full of charm, and charm can cause disgust. The gallery of beauties, as if straight out of medieval engravings, amazes the imagination. But the main advantage of the novel is the extreme honesty with which Fumiko Enti reveals to the reader the most hidden corners of a woman’s soul...