Book Review: The Essential Akutagawa

The Essential Akutagawa is a collection of 22 short stories from "the father of Japanese short stories", Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (芥川 龍之介).

The book's a 256-paperback published by Tuttle Publishing and there's an Amazon Kindle version as well. The translater Richard Medhurst has done a terrific job with the translation and was able to bring across the little subtlety of the Japanese text.

The 22 stories were written in the period from 1915 to 1927. The stories has a mix of horror, fantasy, mystery and come with a glimpse of what life was like almost a century ago in Japan, and China where he traveled to in later years. The book's a good and quick read with interesting stories, and here are some from the book's description:

• 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

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