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stickitdown's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lucasmiller's review against another edition
5.0
Wanted to take a star off for the thinness of the collection, but I think the works in this slim volume make up for the barebones nature of it. Akutagawa seems like a writer who is hard to get to know due to the public domain nature of his work and the outsized fame of two of the hundreds of stories he wrote.
The world of these stories is dark. People either mean, hapless, or stupid. It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient. The headnotes of a couple of these stories mention that the author is rewriting old stories from chronicles of the time Heian Period. I can't tell if this is true or part of the fiction of the stories. I think that is part of Akutagawa's achievement as a writer. Tricky stuff.
The world of these stories is dark. People either mean, hapless, or stupid. It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient. The headnotes of a couple of these stories mention that the author is rewriting old stories from chronicles of the time Heian Period. I can't tell if this is true or part of the fiction of the stories. I think that is part of Akutagawa's achievement as a writer. Tricky stuff.
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
I needed a couple of books by Japanese authors for book bingo, and as much as I love Mishima, I also know how long it takes me to make it through one of his books, so I picked up this slim copy of short stories a while ago.
Once I started reading it, it felt so intensely familiar, I wondered if I'd read it before. After a while I decided that it was only familiar from the movie Rashomon, which is based off of the first story in this collection, "In a Grove."
These stories are short, but searing. They are stories of murder and suffering and feeling caught -- like you have no choice but to do this thing that is wrong and will also make you terribly unhappy. No fluffy foxes here. More shame. But they are not heavy with darkness, but calculated.
Left me chewing on how society shapes identity, and how our perceptions shape reality.
Once I started reading it, it felt so intensely familiar, I wondered if I'd read it before. After a while I decided that it was only familiar from the movie Rashomon, which is based off of the first story in this collection, "In a Grove."
These stories are short, but searing. They are stories of murder and suffering and feeling caught -- like you have no choice but to do this thing that is wrong and will also make you terribly unhappy. No fluffy foxes here. More shame. But they are not heavy with darkness, but calculated.
Left me chewing on how society shapes identity, and how our perceptions shape reality.
tarabyt3's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I was expecting, though I wonder how much of the problem was just a boxy translation. Interesting ideas but uneven execution.
rosereads7's review
5.0
Akutagawa Ryunosŭké—a Japanese modernist writer—uses his subject matter to reflect the social turmoil, loss of identity, and changing environment of his times. Akutagawa lived in a rapidly changing world due to modernization. Some of the most drastic changes that contributed to or were a result of modernism include: the changes in transportation which enabled people to travel in a totally new way and changed people’s conception of time, the introduction and assimilation of foreign culture (Western dress and furniture, influence of Western artists, directors, and writers, etc., adaptation of capitalism), and a rise in consumerism which led to the commodification of art forms. His stories in this collection reflect the repercussions of modernization, illustrating the egotistical nature of humanity, the subjectivity of truth and morality, and the struggle with identity due to a changing world.
Not only did Akutagawa live and write in an interesting time but he is one of those rare artists whose life is equally engrossing as his work. His family had a history of madness and Akutagawa lived with the constant fear of going insane, his latter works give us a glimpse of his slippage into insanity. These stories are brilliant, painful, sad, and artistically executed. I highly recommend this collection of short stories for it shows Akutagawa’s diversity with his craft and its genres include: horror, parables, satires, and autobiographical works. Perhaps more importantly these stories show the nature of man and the flaws of the human spirit.
Not only did Akutagawa live and write in an interesting time but he is one of those rare artists whose life is equally engrossing as his work. His family had a history of madness and Akutagawa lived with the constant fear of going insane, his latter works give us a glimpse of his slippage into insanity. These stories are brilliant, painful, sad, and artistically executed. I highly recommend this collection of short stories for it shows Akutagawa’s diversity with his craft and its genres include: horror, parables, satires, and autobiographical works. Perhaps more importantly these stories show the nature of man and the flaws of the human spirit.
troxellis's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kindofdanceit's review
3.0
Kappy is the hardest part to get through,maybe because I don't know anything about them or the folklore part. And Hell Screen was my favorite bit.
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