| NOTA |
(★)(Translated by Geoffrey Bownas)(When first published, Kappa [河童] was perceived varyingly as a children´s story, a sweeping and satirical criticism of Japanese society, and a socialistic analysis --but this important work from one of Japan´s most prolific short story writers seems to defy literary classification. Written shortly before Akutagawa´s suicide, as he became increasingly obsessed with his own unhappiness as well as the hallucinations and delusions that assailed him, ´Kappa´ takes place somewhere between dream and reality. ´Kappa´ is told in the first person from the perspective of an institutionalized madman, identified only as Patient No.23. Ghost stories and the supernatural often provided inspiration for Akutagawa´s writing, and ´Kappa´ draws its name from a creature in Japanese folklore known for dragging unwary children to their deaths in rivers. ´Kappa´ is a striking work from the disturbed though brilliant mind of one of Meiji-era Japan´s most prominent intellectuals. ◆Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) was the author of over 100 short stories. Described as one of the best-read men of his generation, he received a degree in English Literature from Tokyo Imperial University and published translations by Anatole France and W.B. Yeats. Two of his short stories from the collection ´Rashomon´ became the basis of the award-winning movie of the same title by famed director Akira Kurosawa.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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