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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A delightful collection of strange and wonderful stories from ancient Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them, and although some stories were better than others, it was definitely a fun a short read. If you’re interested in strange and ancient Japanese tales, I would definitely recommend this book!
dark
mysterious
With every collection of stories, I enjoyed some more than others. I loved the folklore and culture of the stories, but there was just a way that this book felt more like the author telling the stories rather than them being about the stories, if that makes sense.
Lafcadio Hearn, born to Greek and Irish parents, eventually attained Japanese citizenship and took the name Koizumi Yakumo. His writings on Japan provided a window on a country that - at the time he was producing material - was still a land of mystery to foreign readers. And Kwaidan - a collection of "ghostly" tales - is perhaps his most well-known work.
Kwaidan - the source for some of the stories featured in the film of the same name - is not a collection of ghost stories in the way that you'd expect. Rather than dripping blood and zombification, the stories highlight the uncanny side of life. Nothing that happens here - scary as they might be to the characters involved - is considered to be anything other than a part of nature. It's interesting - Hearn's writing conveys far more effectively the mixture of influences on Japanese folktale and mythology than other writers I've encountered so far.
The academic side of Hearn's reinterpretation of these old tales - the roots of the stories told come from older texts - is evident but not cloying. Indeed, the part of the book I thought I'd enjoy least - his treatises on different insects - came to be my favourite part of the work. The study of butterfly haiku, and of the sex-life of ants are things that aren't soon forgotten.
Kwaidan - the source for some of the stories featured in the film of the same name - is not a collection of ghost stories in the way that you'd expect. Rather than dripping blood and zombification, the stories highlight the uncanny side of life. Nothing that happens here - scary as they might be to the characters involved - is considered to be anything other than a part of nature. It's interesting - Hearn's writing conveys far more effectively the mixture of influences on Japanese folktale and mythology than other writers I've encountered so far.
The academic side of Hearn's reinterpretation of these old tales - the roots of the stories told come from older texts - is evident but not cloying. Indeed, the part of the book I thought I'd enjoy least - his treatises on different insects - came to be my favourite part of the work. The study of butterfly haiku, and of the sex-life of ants are things that aren't soon forgotten.
Fascinating and bite-sized stories of yet more Japanese supernatural folklores. I never get tired of reading them! A lower score, however, due to the sizeable chapter on insects, which I skipped.
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Loved it. If you tend to watch a lot of Japanese Anime, Horror or Ghibli movies, this is a great intro to all the symbolism and creatures in japanese Mythology.
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a fascinating collection of Japanese stories. I could have done without the random Welsh story and the rambling essay on ants.
Leer una obra de Lafcadio Hearn es adentrarse en un viaje al pasado. Puedes sentir la fascinación por un universo desconocido en donde conviven con total naturalidad samurais, geishas, monjes, shoguns y campesinos junto a espectros, fantasmas, criaturas medio humanas y medio animales y, en definitiva, todo tipo de integrantes de uno de los folclores mitológicos más interesantes que puedes descubrir.
Es cierto que para disfrutar de ese viaje es necesario tratar de adaptarse a la peculiar manera que tienen de entender la vida en el lejano oriente. La filosofía budista, así como toda clase de corrientes religiosas que recorren la geografía del país nipón, está plagada de dogmas en los que la virtud de los hombres acapara un papel destacado en su integridad. A través de los numerosísimos relatos que recopila Hearn en este libro, vamos entendiendo como las acciones que realizamos en nuestra vida tienen consecuencias inmediatas, tanto en esta plano de existencia como en los siguientes. Las personas que obran guiados por esos dogmas verán recompensadas su devoción, mientras que aquellos que actúan lejos de ellos terminan sufriendo las terribles consecuencias de sus actos.
Eso convierte este maravilloso libro en una sucesión de relatos en los que descubrirás todo tipo de criaturas. Algunas fascinantes, capaces de llenar tu corazón de alegría, aportarte riquezas o satisfacer los deseos más humanos que que van desde lo económico al más puro amor. Pero también nos encontramos con el lado oscuro del camino, plagado de fantasmas vengativos y rencorosos que esperan su momento para reclamar lo que es suyo.
Los relatos suceden sin pausa y tienen la capacidad de fascinación propia de Lafcadio, encargado de recopilar todas esas historias olvidadas para mostrarlas al público occidental. Todo un deleite imaginativo que convierte una recopilación como esta en toda una referencia en cuanto a las historias fantásticas del país del sol naciente.
En definitiva, una auténtica invitación a una manera de entender el mundo que huele a magia por todos lados.