noun
war of words; battle of the pen
Literary term for a lineup of authors or critics engaged in a heated written debate or polemic. Rare in everyday conversation.
当時の文壇では、自然主義派と反自然主義派の筆陣が激しく交わされた。
In the literary world of that time, a fierce war of words was waged between the naturalist and anti-naturalist camps.
Compound of 筆 (fude, 'writing brush') and 陣 (jin, 'battle formation'), literally 'brush battle array'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of martial metaphors for literary disputes.