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Loading... Rashomon and Other Storiesby Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
This short collection of stories would make a fabulous addition to any library, lending an east Asian perspective on the moral tale alongside the renowned names of Aesop and Grimm. Each story is like an elongated haiku, an impressionistic glimpse into just enough plot and characterisation to grasp the concept at hand. Always there is some sort of twist that leaves the reader thinking, so that the author's purpose is not immediately evident. The economy of words and images makes for quick but poignant reads that will resonate long after you have turned the page. (  ) quaintlittlehead | Jul 14, 2012 |  A collection of short stories by Japanese author Akutagawa which include two stories that the Akira Kurosawa-directed classic 'Rashomon' was based on: (The Grove and Rashomon). Interesting and worth a look, but a bit bare, given there are only a handful of stories here. (  ) iftyzaidi | Jul 1, 2011 | As far as one can gleam from these translations, the prose of Akutagawa is driven less by narrative and imagery and more by subtle examinations of character. The prose is always evident as the work as a careful yet detached observer, even when writing from first person which seldom occurs. In this regard, Akutagawa seems to resemble O. Henry or Maupassant more than Mori Ogai or any of his Japanese contemporaries. The writing seems a little dry, though this may be the fault of the translator more than anything. From the little of it that I've read, I don't think it would hurt to suggest the more extensive volume of selections translated by Jay Rubin over this one. The writing seems much more descriptive and lively than it does here. (  ) poetontheone | Jun 10, 2011 | Rashomon, And Other Stories, translated by Takashi Kojima, 1952. This short collection of six stories includes the famous "In a Grove" (popularly called "Rashomon"), which I have seen on film countless times and is one of my all time favorites. If I had never seen the film, the story in print would not have left much of an impression, it is so brief and lacking detail, but with the images of the film in memory, it was like re-watching the movie again in the minds eye. It's remarkable that such a modern story was written in 1914, it still seems modern to this day, one of the shortest masterpieces of world literature. The other five stories cross multiple genres and I found them to be ok but nothing great like "Rashomon". ( ) Stbalbach | Jun 13, 2010 | Classic though this may be, I found that the 6 stories in my volume did nothing for me. The translation, by Takashi Kojima, probably didn't help as I found the style of the prose to be uninspiring, which meant that all I was left with were the stories themselves — and those I found to be tiresome, mean-spirited, and somewhat on the trite side. (For some inexplicable reason I was reminded of O. Henry while reading. I have no idea why.) That said, it's just odd to read a book that includes footnotes explaining what sushi is. (  ) g026r | Jun 4, 2010 | no reviews | add a review
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