The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-07

short stories. International Pub
fishers. Boards. IS cents.
To us in America, proletarian lit
eratre is still largely an academic
matter. So far most of our creative
efforts have been composed in the
quiet Of the study, have been writ
ten not as result Of direct parti-
cipation in class conflicts but as in
vestigations of these struggles after
they have occurred.
In Japan it is an entirely different
story. There proletarian literature is
an inseparable part of the heroic fight
Of the japanese revolutionary move
ment It must be admitted that in
America the slcgans Of revolutionary
literature are still rather empty eX-
pressions; in Japan these slogans are
not paper phrases but fiery realities.
Faced with the monstrous white ter
ror Of the japanese state, prolctarian
literature in that country really is
in the forefront Of the class struggle,
really is a powerful weapon in the
lite-and-death battles of the japanese
masses.
Perhaps in no other capitalist
country does the revolutionary cul-
tural movement plav as important a
role in the work of the Communist
Party as in Japan. The cultural
magazine, Senki Banner Of Battle
which is equivalent to our New
Masses-is q powerful organ of mass
propaganda in the stronghold Of Far
Eastern imperialism Confronted by
the severe government censorship,
the proletarian literary movement has
set up a large chain Of distributing
agencies throughout the country
which bring Senki'to more than 100,-
600 readers. Particularly dangerous
Ito the japanese ruling class is art
istic expression" writes a Japanese
critic, lit being the most accessible
and comprehensive to the masses"
Accordingly, the proletarian literary
faces unceasing police ter
ror. Scarcely any large raid directed
aaginSt the Communist Party fails
to include the arrest Of Japanese in
tellectuals. Hundreds of them have
been imprisoned and tortured since
the outlawing of the japanese Com
munist Party in 1923.
On February 20, 1888, this merci-
less persecution resulted in the arrest
and murder of Tal1iji Kobayashi, per-
haps the most talented proletarian
novelist of Japan.
Less than thirty years old at the
time Of his death, Kabayashi was
hunted by the police for his under
ground activities. When he was cap
tured, he was horribly tortured
(branded on the forehead, choked
with rope, his hand twisted out of
joint, beaten and trampled upon) and
died after five hours Of punishment.
Despite his active agitational work,
found time to write
number of enduring stories Of mill
tant episodes in the history of the
japanese masses.
A section of one of his most pop
ular novels, 1.-THE Cannery Boat" is
the title story of the first volume of
Japanese proletarian literature to
appear in English translation. It is
a gripping account Of the incredible
conditions of japanese workers aboard
q crab-canning steamer. They are
driven like animals. The slowest of
the workers are branded with red
hot pokers; those who rebel are tor
tured to death. With enviable skill
indicates the universal
character of the inhuman exploitation
If the Japanese masses as reflected
IN the cannery boat. With consum-
nate artistry he makes his charac-
,ers participate in every phase of the I
lass struggle-their exploitation is