Murder in the Age of Enlightenment
Essential Stories
Published on 3. December 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-78227-555-8 (ISBN)
Description
'One never tires of reading and re-reading his best works. Akutagawa was a born short-story writer' Haruki Murakami
The stories in this fantastical, unconventional collection are subtly wrought depictions of the darkness of our desires. From an isolated bamboo grove, to a lantern festival in Tokyo, to the Emperor's court, they offer glimpses into moments of madness, murder, and obsession. Vividly translated by Bryan Karetnyk, they unfold in elegant, sometimes laconic, always gripping prose.
Akutagawa's stories are characterised by their stylish originality; they are stories to be read again and again.
The stories in this fantastical, unconventional collection are subtly wrought depictions of the darkness of our desires. From an isolated bamboo grove, to a lantern festival in Tokyo, to the Emperor's court, they offer glimpses into moments of madness, murder, and obsession. Vividly translated by Bryan Karetnyk, they unfold in elegant, sometimes laconic, always gripping prose.
Akutagawa's stories are characterised by their stylish originality; they are stories to be read again and again.
Reviews / Votes
One never tires of reading and re-reading his best works. Akutagawa was a born short-story writer * Haruki Murakami * The quintessential writer of his era * David Peace * Extravagance and horror are in his work but never in his style, which is always crystal-clear * Jorge Luis Borges * He was both traditional and experimental and always compelling and fearless... There is no writer quite like him * Howard Norman *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 162 mm
Width: 115 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
184 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78227-555-8 (9781782275558)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
10/2023
Pushkin Press Classics
€13.00
Available immediately
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2020
Pushkin Press
€9.59
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
10/2023
Pushkin Press Classics
€13.00
Available immediately
Person
RYUNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA was one of Japan's leading literary figures in the Taisho period. Regarded as the father of the Japanese short story, he produced over 150 in his short lifetime. Haunted by the fear that he would inherit his mother's madness, Akutagawa suffered from worsening mental health problems towards the end of his life and committed suicide aged 35 by taking an overdose of barbiturates.