Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds by Keller Kimbrough

Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds by Keller Kimbrough

Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds is a collection of twenty-five medieval Japanese tales of border crossings and the fantastic, featuring demons, samurai, talking animals, amorous plants, and journeys to supernatural realms. With images from the original scroll paintings, it illuminates a rich world of literary, Buddhist, and visual culture.

This volume offers translations of exciting, important Japanese tales that traverse the other worlds of monstrous and animal beingsFrom hungry ghosts to flesh-eating demons, the characters here are not just the oft-sung heroes of history or familiar gods of religious traditions—they are part of narratives that serve as imaginative touchstones of the medieval Japanese. Illustrations of key scenes, drawn from well-preserved scrolls and booklets, breathe further life into the stories, and an authoritative introduction puts the tales as a genre in their literary and artistic contexts. Each story is a polished gem, with generous notes to bring the social, spiritual, and material culture of medieval Japan into view. -- Linda Chance, University of Pennsylvania
As leading scholars in their fields, Kimbrough and Shirane provide a well-organized, extensively illustrated work that will appeal to general readers and students alike. -- Joshua Mostow, University of British Columbia
A timely collection. . . . Beyond the mysteries and intrigue found in each story, the tales are also endearing and hopeful. As a student of both art history and literature, I found the collection an exciting and illuminating read. -- Zeny May Dy Recidoro * Cha: An Asian Literary Journal *
This volume provides a clear window into medieval Japanese culture and world view. Highly recommended. * Choice *

Keller Kimbrough is a professor of Japanese in the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is the author of Preachers, Poets, Women, and the Way: Izumi Shikibu and the Buddhist Literature of Medieval Japan (2008) and the translator of Wondrous Brutal Fictions: Eight Buddhist Tales from the Early Japanese Puppet Theater (Columbia, 2013).

Haruo Shirane, Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture and chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University, is the author and editor of numerous books on Japanese literature, including Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature, and the Arts (Columbia, 2012) and Reading “The Tale of Genji”: Sources from the First Millennium (Columbia, 2015, coedited with Thomas Harper).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780231184472
ISBN 10	0231184476
Title	Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds
Author	Keller Kimbrough
Series	Translations From The Asian Classics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Columbia University Press
Year published	2018-02-20
Number of pages	464
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.