Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Đáng tiếc, nửa giá trị của cuốn sách nằm ở bìa cứng. Mà mình thì không thích bìa cuốn này vì lớp áo ôm mềm quá, lại cắt lớn hơn bìa, nên dễ bị hỏng mép. Dù sao Quái Đàm vẫn là một cuốn sách thú vị và giàu chất văn, nhưng mình đã kỳ vọng hơn thế. Phần Dị trùng cuối sách đậm tính triết. Hi vọng tương lai IPM sẽ xb những cuốn phức tạp và nhiều tính khảo cứu hơn.
This is a small, thin book with seventeen short stories (some barely more than a page or two, others a little longer) and three “insect studies.” Most of the stories are old supernatural tales, but the author writes from his own experiences sometimes (one short story and two of the insect studies, if memory serves).
It’s a short read and an interesting one. Far from an in-depth look at the Japanese supernatural, these are rather short vignettes that provide a beginner’s taste. Overall, I found them interesting and thought-provoking.
The insect studies are very different. The Butterfly chapter does still discuss Japanese (and Chinese) mythology, but these are mostly put aside for the chapters on Ants and Mosquitoes. For this reason, these studies may be disappointing for readers who are interested solely in mythology and don’t have a taste for idle musings. For my own part, I found them just as interesting as the stories of strange things found in most of the book.
It’s a short read and an interesting one. Far from an in-depth look at the Japanese supernatural, these are rather short vignettes that provide a beginner’s taste. Overall, I found them interesting and thought-provoking.
The insect studies are very different. The Butterfly chapter does still discuss Japanese (and Chinese) mythology, but these are mostly put aside for the chapters on Ants and Mosquitoes. For this reason, these studies may be disappointing for readers who are interested solely in mythology and don’t have a taste for idle musings. For my own part, I found them just as interesting as the stories of strange things found in most of the book.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The old-timey style needs is a bit annoying in the beginning, but the stories totally make up for that!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A curious collection of Japanese ghost stories and entomological musings.
At times, the author/curator inserts himself into the storytelling and draws attention to the process of recounting these stories (at one point jumping over missing pages in the source material). Is this a case of Hearn striving for faithful accuracy? Or, an attempt at postmodernist fiction? I suspect the former.
Some stories don't go anywhere. Others illustrate the close link between Japanese folklore and animé.
My three favourites: Jikininki, Mujina, and the Story of Aoyagi
At times, the author/curator inserts himself into the storytelling and draws attention to the process of recounting these stories (at one point jumping over missing pages in the source material). Is this a case of Hearn striving for faithful accuracy? Or, an attempt at postmodernist fiction? I suspect the former.
Some stories don't go anywhere. Others illustrate the close link between Japanese folklore and animé.
My three favourites: Jikininki, Mujina, and the Story of Aoyagi
Read for Monthly Motif 2020: Creature Feature in August
This requires a little bit of patience and imagination because imagery trumps thrills, definitely. Like a lot of ghost stories these end swiftly and unceremoniously and like all oral traditions, they lose a little something in the translation, so be prepared. Still an excellent collection. The essays on insects are really beautiful and the introductory biography essay on Lafcadio Hearn may have been my favorite part. Apparently it's been made into the sweetest looking movie I've never seen.
Kwaidan is a beautiful selection of Japanese ghost stories; some of them are horrifying, some of them are touching, and all of them provide an intricate look into the many subtleties that make up the Japanese culture. I am greatly enjoyed each and every story in this book, and each of them I enjoyed for different reasons. Some of the stories were translations of old Japanese texts wheras, for others, this book was the first place they were ever written. The author heard them while traveling through small-town Japan and enjoyed them so much that he transcribed them. Because of this, it is somewhat difficult to write a real review. The stories are not his; they aren't even retellings, but the author does an amazing job of transcribing/translating them and making them his own. Obviously, some things are lost in translation, but the author did a great job of minimalizing this loss, and I really feel like I got the full effect of what was originally being said.
At the end of this book, there was a brief study of insects in relation to Japanese culture which I found absolutely FASCINATING. I found the sections on ants and butterflies to be especially enjoyable (though I should perhaps note that I am slightly obsessed with ants). The chosen poems and texts along with the author's observations and commentary gave me great insight as to the roles that insects played (and insects are VERY prominent in Japan) in ancient Japan.
I GREATLY enjoyed this book (and learned a lot!), and, for the first time in a very long time, I found myself so enraptured that I couldn't stop myself from staying up into the wee hours of the morning reading. I highly recommend this selection of stories to anyone who is even remotely interested in Japanese culture.
At the end of this book, there was a brief study of insects in relation to Japanese culture which I found absolutely FASCINATING. I found the sections on ants and butterflies to be especially enjoyable (though I should perhaps note that I am slightly obsessed with ants). The chosen poems and texts along with the author's observations and commentary gave me great insight as to the roles that insects played (and insects are VERY prominent in Japan) in ancient Japan.
I GREATLY enjoyed this book (and learned a lot!), and, for the first time in a very long time, I found myself so enraptured that I couldn't stop myself from staying up into the wee hours of the morning reading. I highly recommend this selection of stories to anyone who is even remotely interested in Japanese culture.