The Factory (Japanese: Kōjō ) is a surrealist novella by Hiroko Oyamada that explores the absurdity and soul-crushing monotony of modern corporate life . Often compared to the works of Franz Kafka, the story is set in a sprawling, city-sized industrial complex where the purpose of the work is entirely unknown to its employees .

Oyamada's prose is lyrical and evocative, with a focus on the musicality of language. Her writing is sparse, yet rich in imagery and suggestion. The translation of "La Fábrica" into English has been praised for its sensitivity to Oyamada's unique voice, capturing the hypnotic rhythm and cadence of the original text.

None of the characters know exactly what the factory produces. It might be engines, information, or nothing at all. This reflects the modern worker’s detachment from the end product of their labor. You fix a spreadsheet cell; the factory grows. You go home; the factory remains. Oyamada suggests that the factory is a living organism, and humans are merely its peripheral cells.

: A woman assigned to the paper-shredding department, where she spends her days feeding document after document into a machine until the act becomes meditative—and eventually, maddening.

: Like the other protagonists—who shred paper or proofread documents with no context—Yoshiko’s writing is a cog in a machine that produces nothing but its own continuation. Surrealist Social Critique

As the protagonist navigates the factory's labyrinthine corridors and strange workspaces, Oyamada masterfully crafts a sense of disorientation and wonder. The factory itself becomes a character, exuding an otherworldly energy that is both captivating and unsettling.