Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

by Lafcadio Hearn

Overview

Twenty unusual tales from Japan collected by one of the greatest writers on the country.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780893469641
Publisher:	Stone Bridge Press
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Series:	Stone Bridge Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	142
Sales rank:	942,829
File size:	558 KB

About the Author

Hearn (1850-1904) was born in Levkas, Greece, as the son of Greek and British parents. In 1869 he went to the United States and did various work, finally as a journalist. In 1890 he came to Japan and taught English in Japanese schools, and became a Japanese citizen under the name of Koizumi Yakuma. He died in Tokyo.

Table of Contents

Introduction     vii
Kwaidan
The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi     3
Oshidori     15
The Story of O-Tei     19
Ubazakura     23
Diplomacy     25
Of a Mirror and a Bell     29
Jikininki     35
Mujina     41
Rokuro-Kubi     45
A Dead Secret     57
Yuki-Onna     61
The Story of Aoyagi     67
Jiu-Roku-Zakura     79
The Dream of Akinosuke     81
Riki-Baka     89
Hi-Mawari     93
Horai     97
Insect-studies
Butterflies     101
Mosquitoes     121
Ants     125

Editorial Reviews

"Wonderful photographs. . . . [Watanabe's] black and white photographs add a layer of understanding and environmental context for the accompanying stories. His photographs are at times as dark as Hearn’s stories. The Kwaidan are a collection of mysterious stories that are well suited for a vivid imagination."

PhotoBook Journal

"The photo book is a new edition of the critically acclaimed book of the same name . . . [featuring] a collection of horror stories, Japanese legends, and ghost stories presented in English for Western audiences. The tales are some of the first examples of modern fantasy literature: including man-eating goblins, insects who parrot human behavior, and a musician who performs to a dead audience. Hearn died soon after the book’s publication, only finding posthumous success. Over a century later, Watanabe has used the eerie stories as the conceptual basis for his imagery in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, presenting this new edition of the classic text in print."

IGNANT magazine

"Out of this year’s vast ocean of photography books, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, stands out for me. Written by Lafcadio Hearn over a century ago, and now brilliantly illustrated with accompanying photographs by award-winning photographer Hiroshi Watanabe, these folk stories are revitalized in this new edition."

Photo-eye, 2019 Favorite Photobooks - Elizabeth Avedon

"Written by Lafcadio Hearn over a century ago, and now brilliantly illustrated with accompanying photographs by award-winning photographer Hiroshi Watanabe, these folk stories are revitalized in this new edition."

2019 Favorite Photobooks Photo-eye