Japanese Classics: Rashōmon & 17 Other Short Stories of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

About this event

Join us for a discussion of Akutagawa's short stories, including Rashōmon and In a Bamboo Grove, the inspirations for Kurosawa's movie. The discussion will use the Penguin Classics collection of 18 of his stories. (Pictured above.) We'll discuss the entire collection so read as many of the stories as you can. According to the book jacket, "Akutagawa is one of Japan's foremost stylists—a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty and wild humour. Rashömon and In a Bamboo Grove inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as The Nose, O-Gin and Loyalty paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants and peasants. And in later works such as Death Register, The Life of a Stupid Man, and Spinning Gears, Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories." We'll be meeting at Lounge 72, the hotel bar at the Doubletree by Hilton in Hazard Center. Please plan to order a drink or appetizer. Ample parking and a trolley stop are nearby. Attendance is limited, so please change your RSVP if you become unable to attend.