{"title":"Ryunosuke Akutagawa","description":"Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927),  short-story writer, poet, and essayist, one of the first Japanese modernists translated into English. He was born in Tokyo in 1892, and began writing for student publications at the age of ten. He graduated from Tokyo University in 1916 with an English Literature degree and worked as a teacher before becoming a full time writer in 1919. His mother had gone mad suddenly just months after his birth and he was plagued by fear of inherited insanity all his life. He killed himself in 1927.","products":[{"product_id":"rashomon-and-seventeen-other-stories-paperback","title":"Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of Penguin Classics' most popular translations--now also in our elegant black spine dress\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRyünosuke Akutagawa is one of Japan's foremost stylists--a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty and wild humour. \"Rashömon\"and \"In a Bamboo Grove\" inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as \"The Nose,\" \"O-Gin\" and \"Loyalty\" paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants and peasants. And in later works such as \"Death Register,\" \"The Life of a Stupid Man,\" and \"Spinning Gears,\" Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101592817887,"sku":"9780140449709","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Z2hoYU1oR1AyZTNFL1YrUDFFcll0Zz09.webp?v=1781071788"},{"product_id":"the-essential-akutagawa-twenty-two-short-stories-by-japans-master-storyteller-paperback","title":"The Essential Akutagawa: Twenty-Two Short Stories by Japan's Master Storyteller - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Akutagawa displays an insightful and keenly creative intelligence in prose so lucid its sophistication is hardly visible.\"\u003c\/i\u003e --Chris Power, The Guardian\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJapan'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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis 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: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRashomon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A destitute servant in old Kyoto faces a moral dilemma--starve or steal to survive\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Odd Tale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A young woman is haunted by strange encounters with a station porter while her husband fights in World War I\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A merchant receives anonymous letters about his wife's infidelity--only to come face-to-face with his own double\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn a Grove\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: Multiple, conflicting accounts of a samurai's death--this story inspired Kurosawa's legendary film \u003ci\u003eRashomon\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHell Screen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A chilling tale of artistic obsession and its devastating cost, adapted from an ancient legend\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMomotaro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: In this first-ever English translation, Akutagawa transforms a beloved folk hero into a biting satire of nationalism and war\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlus 16 other major works by the Japanese master!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn essential volume for every serious reader of Japanese literature--and a captivating introduction to one of the world's great literary voices.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102781247711,"sku":"9784805317990","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/HjP0lBLJbR9784805317990.webp?v=1781087344"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/ryunosuke-akutagawa.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}