by Gail Oman King
Hua Guan Suo Zhuan, a tale about the life of a fictional hero, is one of fourteen works of hitherto-unknown popular literature that were unearthed from a Ming Dynasty tomb in Jiading County near Shanghai in 1967. Made up of four parts told in alternating passages of prose and verse, it is “an episodic tale intended to entertain, with strong roots in an oral tradition.” This author introduces her new translation of this tale by discussing the story’s historical context, as well as various aspects of its composition.
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Akutagawa and Dazai: Instances of Literary Adaptation by James O'Brien James O’Brien’s work contains translations of three short stories by Dazai Osamu – “Hear my Plea”, “Melos, Run!” and “Crackling Mountain” – as well as the following short stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke: “The Clown’s Mask”, “The Immortal”, “Rasho Gate”, “Hell Screen”, “Within a Grove”, and “The Shadow.” The introduction interprets the short stories by these two twentieth-century Japanese authors and outlines the nature of literary adaptation in their work.
Other books of interest: |
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Kara Monogatari: Tales of China by Ward Geddes This work includes a study and a complete, annotated translation of the late twelfth- or early thirteenth-century Japanese tale collection, the Kara monogatari (Tales of China). The twenty-seven tales are interesting as stories, literate as short written pieces, and important as a Japanese cultural source, as well as being of interest to students of China. The Kara monogatari gave Japanese readers vernacular translations of some of the most well-known stories about China. It offers an interesting example of the transition in Japanese literature from the uta monogatari (poem tale) form to the setsuwa bungaku (story literature) form. Details:
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