Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Regular price
Checking stock...
Regular price
Checking stock...
World of Books

At World of Books, you’ll find millions of preloved reads at great prices, from bestsellers to hidden gems. Every book you buy saves money and helps reduce waste, so you can read more for less while giving stories a second life.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free US shipping over $15
  • Buying preloved emits 41% less CO2 than new
  • Millions of affordable books
  • Give your books a new home - sell them back to us!

Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

'One never tires of reading and re-reading his best works. Akutagawa was a born short-story writer' Haruki Murakami

'The quintessential writer of his era' David Peace

These are short stories from an unparalleled icon of modern Japanese literature. Sublimely crafted and shot through with a fantastical sensibility, they offer dazzling glimpses into moments of madness, murder and obsession.

A talented and spiteful painter is given over to depravity in pursuit of artistic brilliance. In the depths of hell, a robber spies a single spider's thread being lowered towards him. When a body is found in an isolated bamboo grove, a kaleidoscopic account of violence and desire begins to unfold.

Vividly translated by Bryan Karetnyk, this mesmerising collection brings together a series of essential works from the master of the Japanese short story.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Bryan Karetnyk

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was one of Japan's leading literary figures in the Taisho period. Regarded as the father of the Japanese short story, he produced over 150 in his short lifetime. Haunted by the fear that he would inherit his mother's madness, Akutagawa suffered from worsening mental health problems towards the end of his life and committed suicide aged 35 by taking an overdose of barbiturates.

"One never tires of reading and re-reading his workAkutagawa was a born short-story writer." - Haruki Murakami

"The quintessential writer of his era." - David Pearce

"Extravagance and horror and in his work but never in his style, which is always crystal-clear." - Jorge Luis Borges

"He was both traditional and experimental and always compelling and fearless... There is no writer quite like him." - Howard Norman
RYUNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA was one of Japan's leading literary figures in the Taisho period. Regarded as the father of the Japanese short story, he produced over 150 in his short lifetime. Haunted by the fear that he would inherit his mother's madness, Akutagawa suffered from worsening mental health problems towards the end of his life and committed suicide aged 35 by taking an overdose of barbiturates.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781805330295
ISBN 10 1805330292
Title Murder in the Age of Enlightenment
Author Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Series Pushkin Press Classics
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Pushkin Press
Year published 2023-10-26
Number of pages 208
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable