**THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Offers a variety of Buddhist techniques to help us feel calmer every day . . . Nothing has changed . . . and everything has changed . . . I feel calmer and more centred' Sunday Times**What if we could learn to look instead of see, listen instead of hear, feel instead of touch? Former monk Ryunosuke Koike shows how, by incorporating simple Zen practices into our daily lives, we can reconnect with our five senses and live in a more peac...

'What is the life of a human being - a drop of dew, a flash of lightning? This is so sad, so sad.'Autobiographical stories from one of Japan's masters of modernist story-telling.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blosso...

Ryünosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) 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 wo...

"Akutagawa displays an insightful and keenly creative intelligence in prose so lucid its sophistication is hardly visible." —Chris Power, The GuardianRyunosuke Akutagawa (1892—1927), often called "the Father of the Japanese short story," wrote more than 150 works during his brief but prolific career. Widely regarded as Japan's master storyteller, he blended modern sensibilities with timeless themes to profound effect.This new anthology offers the m...

"Rashōmon" (羅生門) is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū.The story was first published in 1915 in Teikoku Bungaku. Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon (1950) is in fact based primarily on another of Akutagawa's short stories, "In a Grove"; only the film's title and some of the material for the frame scenes, such as the theft of a kimono and the discussion of the moral ambiguity of thieving to survive, are borrowed from "Rashōmon".

Ryūnosuke Niihara was born in Irifune, Kyōbashi, Tokyo City in Japan on the 1st March 1892. Sadly, his mother suffered severe mental illness after his birth and so, at only eight months old, he was sent to be raised by his maternal uncle and aunt, from whom he received the Akutagawa family name.Even during his early years he was fascinated by classical Chinese literature and, in 1910, when he arrived at the First High School he became friends with several classmates who would go on...

Hell of Solitude presents a varied and eclectic selection of writings by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, one of the most important and beloved Japanese writers of the twentieth century. Bringing together fiction, poetry, and philosophical prose – much of it appearing in English for the first time here – this collection showcases the range and intensity of Akutagawa's imagination. Moving from the whimsical and fantastical to the grave and introspective, the pieces reveal a writer of extraordi...

A surreal masterpiece from one of Japan's greatest writers In early 20th-century Japan, a lone hiker falls through a hole in the ground into Kappaland. This is a place ruled by amphibious creatures who share characteristics with tigers and turtles, but who, for all their strangeness, shed light on the human condition. In Kappaland children choose whether or not to be born, intellectuals think nothing of drinking themselves to death as part of a cultural demonstration, unemployed workers ar...

" Rashomon and Other Stories" has had a profound impact on both Japanese and international literature. The stories "Rashomon" and "In a Bamboo Grove" were famously adapted into the 1950 film Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa, which brought Akutagawa's work to a global audience and won numerous awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Akutagawa's exploration of the human condition, his innovative narrative techniques, and his ability to capture the complexiti...

Step into a world where every clue counts, every shadow whispers danger, and every page pulls you deeper into the unknown. This extraordinary collection brings together 30 legendary Mystery & Investigation masterpieces, written by some of the most influential authors in crime and detective fiction. From gripping whodunits to sophisticated psychological puzzles, these unforgettable stories deliver the perfect blend of suspense, atmosphere, and brilliant deduction. Expect cunning detectiv...

Step into a world of secrets, clues, and suspense with thirty of the greatest mystery and investigation stories ever written. 30 Mystery & Investigation Masterpieces gathers timeless works by legendary authors who defined the genre. From cunning detectives and brilliant sleuths to unsolved crimes and shocking twists, these tales keep readers guessing until the very last page. ️♂️ Inside, you'll encounter unforgettable characters, ingenious plots, and the thrill of piecing together puz...

"Rashōmon" (Japanese: 羅生門) is a short story by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū. A man considering whether or not to become a thief meets a woman stealing hair from corpses. Their conversation explores the morality of theft.The story was first published in 1915 in Teikoku Bungaku. Despite its name, it provided no direct plot material for the Akira Kurosawa movie Rashōmon, which was based on Akutagawa's 1921 short story, In a Grove.(source: Wi...