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thequeercaseofmarius's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Whoever pretends not to believe in ghosts of any sort, lies to his own heart. Every man is haunted by ghosts… though most of us (poets excepted) are unwilling to confess the acquaintance.”
-Lafcadio Hearn, “The Eternal Haunter.”
I discovered Lafcadio Hearn some years ago while I was a student of the Japanese language, and he has since quickly become one of my favourite authors. Despite still being well-known in Japan and his works considered classics in their own right, Hearn has unfortunately become somewhat obscure in the West. But his work is nothing less than magnificent.
Lafcadio Hearn wrote his Japanese Ghost Stories from behind the paper-screens of a rapidly Westernising country, recording the lives and stories of an old Japan that was fading amongst the push for modernisation. Hearn approached this with an openness and empathy that few other Western writers can compare. And with the help of his wife Setsuko Koizumi, we are left with a collection of peculiar stories inviting us into a bygone world both supernatural and vividly real.
Japanese Ghost Stories features a selection of extraordinary tales, most of which I found to be curious, sometimes frightening, but also bewitching and hauntingly beautiful. There is this incredible poetry in the way Hearn writes, showing us a strong Japanese and Buddhist influence paired with an Irish upbringing, pouring out from the pen of a talented man who was well-versed in his craft. Hearn’s writing has this incredible ability to enchant and allure, and reading his work brings me the same inner-fulfilment and joy as experiencing a particularly beautiful work of art.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend also watching the Japanese film Kwaidan, which was based off Hearn’s work and ended up winning the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Grief, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
Minor: War, Cannibalism, and Forced institutionalization
As Hearn was writing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for the most part his work would hardly be considered graphic compared to today’s standards. However, I decided to point out in the graphic section that most of his stories involve ghosts and death, and there is a gruesome child death and a couple of partly anecdotal stories involving children who have lost their parent/s. Hearn also includes a written recollection from his childhood which suggests that his caretaker and great-aunt was emotionally abusive.
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