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Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryonosuke Akutagawa
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Murder in the Age of Enlightenment

Essential Stories

By Ryonosuke Akutagawa
Translated by Michael Emmerich

By Ryonosuke Akutagawa
Translated by Michael Emmerich

Best Seller

Part of Pushkin Press Classics

Category: Short Stories

Paperback $16.95

Jul 02, 2024 | ISBN 9781805330295

Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryonosuke Akutagawa
Paperback $16.95
Jul 02, 2024 | ISBN 9781805330295

Preorder from:

  • $16.95

    Jul 02, 2024 | ISBN 9781805330295

    Preorder from:

Buy the Paperback:

About Murder in the Age of Enlightenment

Madness, murder and obsession: a stylishly original and fantastical collection of stories from an iconic Japanese writer

A collection of the 7 essential Akutagawa short stories, in a vivid and elegant translation – the perfect introduction to this master of prose

“A born short-story writer. . . one never tires of reading and re-reading his best works” – Haruki Murukami

From a nobleman’s court, to the garden of paradise, to a lantern festival in Tokyo, these 7 shrot stories offer dazzling glimpses into moments of madness, murder and obsession.

  • A talented yet spiteful painter is given over to depravity in pursuit of artistic brilliance.
  • In the depth 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.

These are short stories from an unparalleled master of the form. Sublimely crafted and stylishly original, Akutagawa’s writing is shot through with a fantastical sensibility. This collection, in a vivid translation by Bryan Karetnyk, brings together the most essential works from this iconic Japanese writer.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: outstanding classic storytelling from around the world, in a stylishly original series design. From newly rediscovered gems to fresh translations of the world’s greatest authors, this series includes such authors as Stefan Zweig, Hermann Hesse, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Gaito Gazdanov.

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Product Details

Category: Short Stories

Paperback | $16.95
Published by Pushkin Press Classics
Jul 02, 2024 | 208 Pages | 5-1/16 x 7-13/16 | ISBN 9781805330295

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Praise

“One never tires of reading and re-reading his work. Akutagawa 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

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