The Essential Akutagawa: Twenty-Two Short Stories by Japan's Master Storyteller
Autor Ryunosuke Akutagawa Traducere de Richard Medhursten Limba Engleză Paperback – 23 sep 2025
Japan's master storyteller Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892 - 1927) wrote more than 150 short stories. Widely regarded as "the Father of the Japanese short story," he blended modern sensibilities with timeless themes to profound effect.
This new anthology offers the most comprehensive collection of Akutagawa's work ever published in English. It features fresh translations of his most celebrated stories alongside many lesser-known and never-before-translated pieces:
- Rashomon: A destitute servant in old Kyoto faces a moral dilemma—starve or steal to survive
- An Odd Tale: A young woman is haunted by strange encounters with a station porter while her husband fights in World War I
- Shadows: A merchant receives anonymous letters about his wife's infidelity—only to come face-to-face with his own double
- In a Grove: Multiple, conflicting accounts of a samurai's death—this story inspired Kurosawa's legendary film Rashomon
- Hell Screen: A chilling tale of artistic obsession and its devastating cost, adapted from an ancient legend
- Momotaro: In this first-ever English translation, Akutagawa transforms a beloved folk hero into a biting satire of nationalism and war
- Plus 16 other major works by the Japanese master!
An essential volume for every serious reader of Japanese literature—and a captivating introduction to one of the world's great literary voices.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9784805317990
ISBN-10: 480531799X
Pagini: 256
Ilustrații: 22 short stories
Dimensiuni: 130 x 203 x 23 mm
Greutate: 0.3 kg
Editura: Tuttle Publishing
Colecția Tuttle Publishing
ISBN-10: 480531799X
Pagini: 256
Ilustrații: 22 short stories
Dimensiuni: 130 x 203 x 23 mm
Greutate: 0.3 kg
Editura: Tuttle Publishing
Colecția Tuttle Publishing
Recenzii
"Akutagawa wrote in the 1910s and 1920s, a period of rapid change in Japan with the influx of capitalist ideas and industrialization. "His work reflects the time's dread, sense of moral decay, and struggle for truth and meaning," Taylor says. "These themes are all really modern." She recommends Akutagawa for fans of Dostoevsky, Murakami, Kafka, and Flannery O'Connor." —Library Journal interviews Cathy Taylor on "The most comprehensive anthology of short stories by Japanese master Ryunosuke Akutagawa ever published in English," The Essential Akutagawa
"This is a wonderful starting point for anyone curious about Japanese classics. It's modern enough in tone to be readable, rich enough to be memorable, and honest enough to show both the beauty and ugliness of being human." —Life She Loves blog
"Like any great writer of short fiction, Akutagawa creates intricate treasure boxes of narrative that present life in all its complicated emotional facets. Some of his work is fantastical, but all of it is deeply human, and English-language readers are fortunate to have this sparkling new introduction to it." —Ancillary Review of Books
"This is a wonderful starting point for anyone curious about Japanese classics. It's modern enough in tone to be readable, rich enough to be memorable, and honest enough to show both the beauty and ugliness of being human." —Life She Loves blog
"Like any great writer of short fiction, Akutagawa creates intricate treasure boxes of narrative that present life in all its complicated emotional facets. Some of his work is fantastical, but all of it is deeply human, and English-language readers are fortunate to have this sparkling new introduction to it." —Ancillary Review of Books
Notă biografică
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is one of the biggest names in Japanese literature, recognized for his mastery of the short story form. He was a contemporary of Osamu Dazai, Jun'ichiro Tanizaki and Soseki Natsume. In the West, he is best known for his short story In a Grove, adapted by Akira Kurosawa in his award-winning movie Rashomon. Many of his stories highlight a fascination with supernatural and transformational phenomena while others have vivid historical backdrops and display influences from classic Japanese and Western fiction. In 1927, at the age of 35, he killed himself.
Richard Medhurst was born in the UK and lives in Yokohama. His translation of Akutagawa's An Odd Tale was published in Kyoto Journal in 2018, and his translation of Eiji Suzuki's Lingering Fragrance was published in the anthology Strokes of Brush and Blade (Kurodahan Press, 2018). He has worked as a translator, editor and writer for the online magazine Nippon.com for over a decade, specializing in literature and history. He has also written a popular series of articles about studying Japanese which have received tens of thousands of page views. His article on Japan's 72 microseasons helped popularize the concept in the English-speaking world.
Richard Medhurst was born in the UK and lives in Yokohama. His translation of Akutagawa's An Odd Tale was published in Kyoto Journal in 2018, and his translation of Eiji Suzuki's Lingering Fragrance was published in the anthology Strokes of Brush and Blade (Kurodahan Press, 2018). He has worked as a translator, editor and writer for the online magazine Nippon.com for over a decade, specializing in literature and history. He has also written a popular series of articles about studying Japanese which have received tens of thousands of page views. His article on Japan's 72 microseasons helped popularize the concept in the English-speaking world.