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Before the Dawn, historical novel by Shimazaki Tōson, published serially as Yoake mae in the journal Chūō koron (“Central Review”) from 1929 to 1935 and printed in book form in 1935. It details the effects of Westernization on a rural Japanese community in the second half of the 19th century. Despite its stylistic simplicity and undeveloped characterizations, it is considered a modern masterpiece for its impressive scope. The novel traces the life of Aoyama Hanzō...