Vita Sexualis

by Ogai Mori

Published 15 December 1989
Though banned shortly after its publication in 1909, VITA SEXUALIS is far more than a prurient erotic novel. The narrator, a professor of philosophy, wrestles with issues of sexual desire, sex education, and the proper place of sensuality. His story explores his own journey into sexual awareness. Yet, beyond being a poignant account of one boy's coming of age, VITA SEXUALIS is also an important record of Japan's moral struggles during the cultural upheaval of the last years of the Meiji era.