Work

Set at the end of the 15th century, in a small village rampaged by the plague, this is Hirano’s shocking debut work, following the travels of a young learned priest and written with elegant prose.
The process of alchemy and witch trials are cross in a multi-layered structure, and climax burning at the stake will overwhelm readers.
The novel becomes a prediction of violent opposition to “evil,” which became the political situation since the 2000s although there was a longing for the transcendence of the stagnation of the 90s,
The Eclipse was awarded the 120th Akutagawa Prize. When it was announced, Hirano became a hot topic for having written this novel as a law student at Kyoto University, and the novel became a 400,000-copy bestseller.