What JLPT level is 書けない探偵小説?

書けない探偵小説 is suitable for JLPT N1 level readers (estimated JLPT N1).

How long does 書けない探偵小説 take to read?

書けない探偵小説 takes about 15 minutes (around 1191 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

書けない探偵小説The Unwritable Detective Story

Kakenai Tantei Shousetsu

by 夢野久作 · Yumeno Kyūsaku

JLPT N1Short StoryQuiz ready

A writer's wild imagination conjures the ultimate detective story, if only it could be written.

About this story

A writer dreams of crafting the perfect detective story, but his dark imagination takes over.

Read a sample in Japanese

素晴すばらしい探偵たんてい小説しょうせつが書かきたい。ピカピカ光ひかる太陽たいようの下したを傲華はなな流りゅう線せんスターがスウーと横切よこぎる。その中なかに色眼鏡いろめがねをかけて済すまし返かえっているスゴイような丸髷まるまげ美人びじんの横顔よこがおが、ハッキリと網膜もうまくに焼やき付ついたまま遠とおざかる。アトからガソリンの臭くさいと、たまらない屍かばね臭しゅうとがゴッチャになってムウとするほど鼻はなを撲なぐつ。……ハテナ……今いまのは、お化粧けしょうをした死骸しがいじゃなかったか知しらん……。と思おもうトタンに胸むねがドキンドキンとする。背中せなか一いち面めんにゾーッと冷つめたくなる。ソンナ探偵たんてい小説しょうせつが書かきたい。美人びじんを絞殺こうさつして空そら屋やの天井てんじょうに吊つるしておく。その空そら屋やの借手かりてがないために、屍体したいがいつまでもいつまでも発見はっけんされないでいる。タマラなくなった犯人はんにんが、素人しろうと探偵たんていを装よそおって屍体したいを発見はっけんする。警察けいさつに報告ほうこくして、驚おどろくべき明察めいさつを以もって自分じぶんの犯行はんこうの経路けいろを発あばく。

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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「夢野久作全集11」ちくま文庫、筑摩書房
1992（平成4）年12月3日第1刷発行

Typed in by 柴田卓治. Proofread by 渥美浩子.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

The writer daydreams about writing a perfect detective novel, starting with a flashy car scene and a possible corpse, then moves through a series of increasingly absurd plot ideas involving murder, disguise, and historical figures like Trotsky and Lenin. The chapter ends with the writer realizing none of his ideas qualify as true detective fiction, only psychological fairy tales.

Language difficultyAdvanced · 75/100

Key vocabulary

傲華ごうか	proud, flamboyant
丸髷まるまげ	marumage (traditional married woman's hairstyle)
屍臭ししゅう	corpse smell
隠亡おんぼう	crematory keeper (often a lowly job)

Grammar points you'll meet

～たとたん（に） N1Just as soon as; the instant that. Describes a sudden change or happening immediately after an action.
と思おもうトタンに胸むねがドキンドキンとする。
～かどうか N4Whether or not. Used to express uncertainty about something.
ソンナ探偵たんてい小説しょうせつが書かけないものであろうか。
～ではないだろうか N2Isn't it that...? A rhetorical question expressing the speaker's conjecture or suggestion.
日本にっぽんでは書かけないだろうか。
～ように N3Like; as if; in order to. Used for comparison, purpose, or similarity.
素人しろうと探偵たんていを装よそおって屍体したいを発見はっけんする。

Cultural notes

丸髷 (Marumage)A traditional Japanese hairstyle worn by married women, characterized by a round, looped topknot. It was fashionable during the Edo period and often associated with geisha or women of higher status. In the text, it's used in a flashy, theatrical context.
火葬場と隠亡 (Crematorium and Onbō)Onbō were workers at crematoriums, often considered low-status in feudal Japan. They were sometimes depicted as grim figures in literature. Here, a hunchbacked onbō becomes a thriller protagonist, reflecting a dark, sensationalist trope.