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tootbeerfloat's review against another edition
wow they should make that first story into a movie w the book’s title
karenmichele's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I could have read these stories in their original Japanese. It’s not that the translations were bad. They are well reviewed by those who can read them in Japanese. It is that the reviews make a point of Akutagawa’s ability to use the language to express the stories, so I’m just jealous, I guess! I enjoyed the first three stories and the last story the most. They are, “In a Grove”, a set of interviews as part of a murder investigation, “Rashomon”, a story of desperation, “Yam Gruel”, about the joy of anticipation and the possible disappointment of fulfillment, and “Dragon”, a hoax that comes true, at least in the eyes of the beholders. They were all masterful little gems and quite accomplished considering the youth of the author. I was left contemplating how much great prose was lost to his suicide at the young age of thirty -five. I plan to read more of his work and recommend it highly.
mattdube's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I need to say my copy has a cover from Lasy Snowblood, practically, very lurid stuff. I wanted to read more Akutagawa after teaching "In a Bamboo Grove" again and, mostly, watching Rashomon. I didn't think this was as great as I wanted; the other stories sort of play with manipulating the frame, in either obvious or more subtle ways, but the selection of other stories here at least don't quite have the knockout power of "In a Bamboo Grove," though they are pretty good.
The typesetting, etc, really remind me of some editions of Chekhov I have, when the books are actually produced by the foreign cultural attache. The spacing and proofing, the translation itself just slightly odd enough.
The typesetting, etc, really remind me of some editions of Chekhov I have, when the books are actually produced by the foreign cultural attache. The spacing and proofing, the translation itself just slightly odd enough.
nahiacal's review against another edition
3.0
Teniendo en cuenta que es una lectura obligatoria para clase, y que normalmente eso ya suele significar que lo que voy a leer no me va a gustar, tengo que admitir que tampoco es que me haya disgustado.
jwhite1802's review against another edition
3.0
glad to have read it
Interesting stories with thought provoking morality tales. Editing was a bit rough and made the flow confusing. Read this initially because someone used the term Roshamon extreme at work and I had to look it up and it lead me down this worm hole.
Interesting stories with thought provoking morality tales. Editing was a bit rough and made the flow confusing. Read this initially because someone used the term Roshamon extreme at work and I had to look it up and it lead me down this worm hole.
lassiter's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
stickitdown's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lucasmiller's review against another edition
5.0
Wanted to take a star off for the thinness of the collection, but I think the works in this slim volume make up for the barebones nature of it. Akutagawa seems like a writer who is hard to get to know due to the public domain nature of his work and the outsized fame of two of the hundreds of stories he wrote.
The world of these stories is dark. People either mean, hapless, or stupid. It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient. The headnotes of a couple of these stories mention that the author is rewriting old stories from chronicles of the time Heian Period. I can't tell if this is true or part of the fiction of the stories. I think that is part of Akutagawa's achievement as a writer. Tricky stuff.
The world of these stories is dark. People either mean, hapless, or stupid. It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient. The headnotes of a couple of these stories mention that the author is rewriting old stories from chronicles of the time Heian Period. I can't tell if this is true or part of the fiction of the stories. I think that is part of Akutagawa's achievement as a writer. Tricky stuff.
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
I needed a couple of books by Japanese authors for book bingo, and as much as I love Mishima, I also know how long it takes me to make it through one of his books, so I picked up this slim copy of short stories a while ago.
Once I started reading it, it felt so intensely familiar, I wondered if I'd read it before. After a while I decided that it was only familiar from the movie Rashomon, which is based off of the first story in this collection, "In a Grove."
These stories are short, but searing. They are stories of murder and suffering and feeling caught -- like you have no choice but to do this thing that is wrong and will also make you terribly unhappy. No fluffy foxes here. More shame. But they are not heavy with darkness, but calculated.
Left me chewing on how society shapes identity, and how our perceptions shape reality.
Once I started reading it, it felt so intensely familiar, I wondered if I'd read it before. After a while I decided that it was only familiar from the movie Rashomon, which is based off of the first story in this collection, "In a Grove."
These stories are short, but searing. They are stories of murder and suffering and feeling caught -- like you have no choice but to do this thing that is wrong and will also make you terribly unhappy. No fluffy foxes here. More shame. But they are not heavy with darkness, but calculated.
Left me chewing on how society shapes identity, and how our perceptions shape reality.
tarabyt3's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I was expecting, though I wonder how much of the problem was just a boxy translation. Interesting ideas but uneven execution.