Cover art for The Essential Akutagawa
Published
Tuttle Publishing, October 2025
ISBN
9784805317990
Format
Softcover, 256 pages
Dimensions
20.3cm × 13cm

The Essential Akutagawa Twenty-Two Short Stories by the Japan's Master Storyteller

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Due October 1, 2025.
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'Akutagawa displays an insightful and keenly creative intelligence in prose so lucid its sophistication is hardly visible.' Chris Power, The Guardian

Japan's master storyteller Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) wrote more than 150 short stories. Widely regarded as 'the Father of the Japanese short story', he blended modern sensibilities with timeless themes to profound effect.

This new anthology offers the most comprehensive collection of Akutagawa's work ever published in English. It features fresh translations of his most celebrated stories alongside many lesser-known and never-before-translated pieces:

Rashomon: A destitute servant in old Kyoto faces a moral dilemma starve or steal to survive

An Odd Tale: A young woman is haunted by strange encounters with a station porter while her husband fights in World War I

Shadows: A merchant receives anonymous letters about his wife's infidelity only to come face-to-face with his own double

In a Grove: Multiple, conflicting accounts of a samurai's death-this story inspired Kurosawa's legendary film Rashomon

Hell Screen: A chilling tale of artistic obsession and its devastating cost, adapted from an ancient legend

Momotaro: In this first-ever English translation, Akutagawa transforms a beloved folk hero into a biting satire of nationalism and war

Plus 16 other major works by the Japanese master!

An essential volume for every serious reader of Japanese literature and a captivating introduction to one of the world's great literary voices.

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