An Eclectic Collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Untranslated Stories
This collection of twenty-six short stories offers a glimpse into many facets of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's imagination. Most of the stories featured in this collection have not previously been translated into English. From fantastical worlds seen through a child's or frogs' eyes, to themes of heroism, love, guilt, and the musings of the leader of the Forty-Seven Ronin, the stories explore humor, darkness, and human nature. Several of the stories feature a character named Yasukichi Horikawa, believed to be Akutagawa's alter ego.
Kan Kikuchi was a writer, a publisher, and a close friend of Ryunosuke Akutagawa. This collection also includes a composition by him about his friend's death and the suicide note sent to him by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.
Contents
The Sake Bug
Early Spring
The Tiger Stories
The Monkey
Shino
A Day in the Life of Ōishi Kuranosuke
Unrequited Love
The Hell of Loneliness
Frogs
San'emon's Crime
The Dream
The Foundling
Asakusa Park
Ten Needles
Taneko's Melancholy
Doubts
The Quality of a Hero
Father
The Riverside Fish Market
From Yasukichi's Notebook
The Bow
A Romance Novel
Compositions
Youth
The Cold
A Ten Yen Bill
About the Author (by Kan Kikuchi)
A Note Sent to an Old Friend