Books with author Lafcadio Hearn

A Japanese magic-lantern show is essentially dramatic. It is a play of which the dialogue is uttered by invisible personages, the actors and the scenery being only luminous shadows. Wherefore it is peculiarly well suited to goblinries and weirdnessess of all kinds; and plays in which ghosts figure are the favourite subject. -from "Of Ghosts and Goblins"In 1889, Westerner Lafcadio Hearn arrived in Japan on a journalistic assignment, and he fell so in love with the nation and its people that he never left. In 1894, just as Japan was truly opening to the West and global interest in Japanese culture was burgeoning, Hearn published this delightful series of essays glorifying what he called the "rare charm of Japanese life."Beautifully written and a joy to read, Hearn's love letters to the land of the rising sun enchant with their sweetly lyrical descriptions of winter street fairs, puppet theaters, religious statuaries, even the Japanese smile and its particular allure.A wonderful journal of immersion on a foreign land, this will bewitch Japanophiles and travelers to the East.

Gleanings in Buddha-Fields is the third book of Hearn's Japanese period, and was written at Kobe. In this volume of essays, intermingled with sketches in lighter vein, Hearn continues his philosophical studies. There are the unmistakable signs that even this ardor is losing zest. The charm of Japan is going fast; and after this volume, until his final interpretation, which is a summary of all that has gone before, is reached, we find him seeking material in fairy-tales, legends, and even returning to old thoughts about the West Indian life.

Excerpt from Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange ThingsIt may be doubted whether any orien tal race has ever had an interpreter gifted with more perfect insight and sympathy than Laf cadio Hearn has brought to the translation of Japan into terms of our occidental speech. His long residence in that country, his flexibility of mind, poetic imagination, and wonderfully pel lucid style have fitted him for the most delicate of literary tasks. He has seen marvels, and he has told of them in a marvelous way. There is scarcely an aspect of contemporary Japanese life, scarcely an element in the social, political, and military questions involved in the present conflict with Russia which is not made clear in one or another of the books with which he has charmed American readers.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Beautifully illustrated Japanese fairy tale.A truly wonderful and mysterious short story.This little book was originally printed on crepe paper and illustrated with hand-colored woodcuts.This is one of the five 'Japanese Fairy Tale' books translated by Lafcadio Hearn and published by T. Hasegawa more than one hundred years ago.The Goblin SpiderThe Boy Who Drew CatsThe Fountain of YouthChin Chin KobakamaThe Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumpling

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Kwaidan, Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn, features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief study on insects. Hearn declares in his introduction, that most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts (probably with the help of his wife, Setsu Koizumi). He also states that one of the stories - Yuki-onna - was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and this was, to the best of his knowledge, the first record of it.

KwaidanStories and Studies of Strange ThingsLafcadio HearnJapanese Ghost StoriesKwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, often shortened to Kwaidan, is a book by Lafcadio Hearn that features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects. It was later used as the basis for a movie called Kwaidan by Masaki Kobayashi in 1964.Kaidan is Japanese for "ghost story".Hearn declares in his introduction to the first edition of the book, which he wrote on January 20, 1904, shortly before his death, that most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts. He also states that one of the stories — Yuki-onna — was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and his was apparently the first record of it, both by his own account and according to the research of modern folklorists. Riki-Baka is based on a personal experience of Hearn's. While he does not declare it in his introduction, Hi-Mawari — among the final narratives in the volume – seems to be a recollection of an experience in his childhood (it is, setting itself apart from almost all the others, written in the first person and set in rural Wales).TABLE OF CONTENTSTHE STORY OF MIMI-NASHI-HOICHIOSHIDORITHE STORY OF O-TEIUBAZAKURADIPLOMACYOF A MIRROR AND A BELLJIKININKIMUJINAROKURO-KUBIA DEAD SECRETYUKI-ONNATHE STORY OF AOYAGIJIU-ROKU-ZAKURATHE DREAM OF AKINOSUKERIKI-BAKAHI-MAWARIHORAIINSECT STUDIESBUTTERFLIESMOSQUITOESANTS Notes