| Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things Original Edition Contributor(s): Hearn, Lafcadio (Author) |
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ISBN: 0804836620 ISBN-13: 9780804836623 Publisher: Tuttle Publishing OUR PRICE: $15.26 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2005 * Not available - Not in print at this time *Annotation: Kwaidan translates as "weird tales," and that describes perfectly the haunting stories collected in this unforgettable volume. Author Lafeadio Hearn writes in prose so simple and direct it crawls like goosebumps up the reader's spine. The weird, ghostly legends collected here emit perfectly the chilly atmosphere of Old Japan. Stories include the one of Loichi, the blind biwa player who was called to perform for the dead; of Muso, the journeying priest who encountered a man-eating goblin; of the samurai who outwitted a cunning ghost. Beyond the 17 stories collected here are three "Insect Studies"--brilliant nature pieces in which humans compare all too closely with insects. Innocuous and harmless on the surface, these stories carry unforgettable echoes. Fans of Lafeadio Hearn will rejoice at this new edition of his collected works, while newcomers to his style can enter for the first time his very strange and haunting universe. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Short Stories (single Author) - Fiction | Classics - Fiction | Horror - General |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 75138067 |
| Series: Tuttle Classics |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 5.1" W x 7.8" (0.68 lbs) 256 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Japanese - Topical - New Age |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This collection of Japanese supernatural stories is a classic work in the field of Japanese horror. Known primarily as an early interpreter of Japanese culture and customs, the famous writer Lafcadio Hearn also wrote ghost stories--delicate, transparent, ghostly sketches--about his adopted land. Many of the stories found in Kwaidan, stories and studies of strange things, are based on Japanese tales told long ago to him by his wife; others possibly have a Chinese origin. All have been re-colored and reshaped by Hearn's inimitable hand. Some critics attribute Hearn's fascination with eerie tales to his partial blindness. Whatever its roots, he was drawn to the hidden realms of the spirit world with its strange facts and marvels. In this collection of unforgettably haunting stories, Hearn brings together the meeting of three ways--the austere dreams of India, the subtle beauty of Japan and the relentless science of the Western world. Japanese ghost and supernatural tales include:
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