Setouchi Harumi is well known for her unflinching portrayals of female sexual desire, or more particularly of frustrated sexual desire. She debuted with works that unapologetically chronicle a woman's quest for sexual fulfillment. Even after taking Buddhist vows in 1973, she continues to beguile her readers with unabashedly sexual tales.

Setouchi was born on 15 May 1922 to a cabinetmaker in Tokushima on the island of Shikoku. Her father, Mitani Toyokichi, specialized in religious altars. For financial reasons he had himself "adopted" by an heirless relative and assumed her surname of Setouchi in 1929. Setouchi's mother, Koharu, like her husband, was only moderately educated, but she loved to read. She frequently purchased secondhand books and was said to spend more time at her reading than at her housekeeping. The family was not well off. Setouchi's poor diet left her prone to illnesses. She was often kept home from school and away from...