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Дзиппэнся Икку и Сикитэй Самба - эклектика личности творца в контексте литературы гэсаку
The article presents biographies of two prominent authors of kokkeibon (“funny books”) genre, namely, Jippensha Ikku and Shikitei Sanba. The famous writers of their epoch, they are notable for their unusual fates and eccentric behavior, which was depicted in their personal memoirs as well as in the works of their contemporaries. Their well-known colleague, Kyokutei Bakin, in his work “Modern Fiction: A Classification of Edo Authors” gave one of the most detailed characteristics of their lives and literary careers. In his review gesakusha writers are represented in all the varieties of their appearances — as successful authors of fiction and poetry, talented storytellers, artists, calligraphists and even businessmen. Jippensha Ikku, the author of one of the biggest gesaku bestsellers, “Shank’s Mare”, started as a bureaucrat in Osaka, and then soon he began to write fiction, alongside with making prints, calligraphy and storytelling. Shikitei Sanba was involved in bookselling business for quite a long time, and then his own literary career started. At the same time he opened a pharmacy, which turned out to be very successful. Therefore, both Jippensha Ikku and Shikitei Sanba embodied a typical image of a gesakusha writer, being active in different spheres and creating a special type of behavior. This mindset can as well be found in their literary works, made of various humorous, theatrical and poetic elements.
