Cigarette Girl

たばこ屋の娘 松本正彦短編集

Tabakoya no Musume

A single shared cigarette creates a fleeting bond. A messy bachelor's closet hides the proof of his sloth. A woman past her prime reviews letters from potential suitors. A newly formed pair purchases two train tickets with no particular destination. These are the quiet, emotionally charged city stories from Masahiko Matsumoto, a prominent figure in the Japanese alternative-comics movement known as "gekiga." First released between 1972 and 1974, these eleven tales now appear as the initial English-language compilation of Matsumoto's later work. His timid, indecisive protagonists contend with broken hearts, evolving families, financial strain, sexual unease, and the weight of custom, yet the stories are handled with the whimsy and gentle touch that define Matsumoto's style.

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