This is an autobiographical essay written by Japan's "generational literary giant" Naoki in his later years. He suffered from various chronic diseases such as lung disease and bone gangrene. He knew that his life expectancy was unpredictable, so he was asked to look back half his life. Born into a family of descendants of declining samurai, his father opened a second-hand clothes shop in Osaka after his family's fortunes declined. His family was poor. The author was frail when he was young and went through many twists and turns during his schooling. After school hours in primary and secondary schools, he helped his family collect old things and buy ingredients. He often ate rice dumplings and rented books to nourish his interest in reading. The young man went to Waseda to study, but was frustrated several times in love. He went to teach in the countryside for a short time, and then stayed in Tokyo to make a living. In his early years, he repeatedly encountered obstacles in finding a job, so he lived by rewriting manuscripts and writing scattered articles. After getting married, he struggled to make a living. After becoming famous, he was burdened by high taxes and multiple expenses. He stayed at his desk with illness all year round. In pain and poverty for half his life, he looked back at his childhood, his encounters with relatives and friends, and recounted his ups and downs in life.
