Lafcadio Hearn Libri

Ci attirano, ci affascinano, ci spaventano e spesso ci lasciano con un impensabile senso di vuoto. Le storie di fantasmi giapponesi aleggiano tra l’orrore e il romanticismo, in un limbo percorso da anime che non trovano pace per essere state costrette ad abbandonare il mondo terreno prima di aver compiuto fino in fondo il loro percorso. Vendetta, amore, imbarazzo, risentimento, curiosità, angoscia, nostalgia, memoria, altruismo: ogni fantasma ha il suo personale motivo per ripresentarsi ai viventi, e ognuno lo fa in modo diverso, e con differenti effetti sulla quotidianità di amici, nemici, parenti o amanti. STORIE DI FANTASMI GIAPPONESI raccoglie i più celebri racconti di genere della tradizione giapponese, come quello di Hoichi, suonatore cieco di biwa, o quello di Oyuki, dama delle nevi, che tornano qui nella loro dimensione originale. Presentato oggi per la prima volta nella sua versione completa in lingua italiana, questo volume è stato trasposto nel visionario film KWAIDAN di Masaki Koba­yashi, Premio Speciale della Giuria al Festival di Cannes nel 1965.

This book introduces a world that few early Western visitors to Japan ever saw. This is the world of unusual customs, bizarre superstitions, and enchanting scenery. Included in this classic volume are Hearn's well-known essays on gardens, festivals, the household shrine, and other aspects of Japanese daily life.

The collection features Lafcadio Hearn's early writings, highlighting his vivid imagination through a mix of short stories and essays. It skillfully intertwines supernatural elements with whimsical themes, showcasing his fascination with the mystical and macabre. This anthology offers a glimpse into Hearn's literary flair and unique perspective, making it a compelling read for fans of fantastical literature.

Exploring the supernatural, this collection delves into Japan's rich ghostly lore through Lafcadio Hearn's captivating prose. It features tales of a pilgrim's climb among skulls, a dying woman's sinister legacy, and a ghostly beauty's visit to her samurai lover. Drawing on ancient legends, Hearn vividly portrays spirits and demons while weaving in Buddhist proverbs, haiku translations, and incense rituals. This work offers a spine-tingling glimpse into the unseen realms of Japanese culture, showcasing Hearn's mastery of the macabre.

In questo volume sono raccolti e presentati quei racconti che citano o parlano in qualche modo del "Libro Maledetto", quel Necronomicon che, sicuramente opera di fantasia di Lovecraft, come lui stesso ebbe ad affermare, a tutt'oggi conta una numerosa schiera di appassionati che sono convinti esista davvero. È in ogni caso fuor di dubbio che queste storie inquietanti costituiscono un momento fondamentale nell'insieme del corpus narrativo del Solitario di Providence, e in particolar modo per quanto attiene al suo famosissimo Ciclo dei Miti di Cthulhu, che viene unanimemente riconosciuto come la parte più pregnante e significativa della sua produzione.

The works of Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo) played a critical role in introducing his adopted Japan to a worldwide audience. In Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life, he writes, "The papers composing this volume treat of the inner rather than of the outer life of Japan, - for which reason they have been grouped under the title Kokoro (heart). This word signifies also mind, in the emotional sense; spirit; courage; resolve; sentiment; affection; and inner meaning, - just as we say in English, 'the heart of things.'" After centuries of isolation Meiji-era Japan was forced to adjust its customs and beliefs to Western influences, and Hearn reflects on the value of these traditions of the "heart" as seen in Japanese popular justice, arts, economy, patriotism, and religion. Chapters include: At a Railway Station - The Genius of Japanese Civilization - A Street Singer - From a Traveling Diary - The Nun of the Temple of Amida - After the War - Haru - A Glimpse of Tendencies - By Force of Karma - A Conservative - In the Twilight of the Gods - The Idea of Preëxistence - In Cholera-Time - Some Thoughts About Ancestor-Worship - Kimiko - Three Popular Ballads: The Ballad of Shūntoku-maru - The Ballad of Oguri-Hangwan - The Ballad of O-Shichi, the Daughter of the Yaoya.

The book presents a captivating collection of Japanese ghost stories and strange tales, showcasing Lafcadio Hearn's translations alongside Kent Williams' striking illustrations. It features over sixty artworks that vividly depict eerie spirits and macabre folklore, including corpse brides and haunting goblins. Accompanying essays by notable figures like Darren Aronofsky and Bon Koizumi enrich the experience. Housed in an elegant slipcase, this edition is a stunning addition to the Illuminated Editions series, merging rich storytelling with exceptional artistry.

Cincinnati in the 1870's was the largest inland city in the nation. Much of its prosperity and growth it owed to the commerce which floated along its Ohio River boundary on the way between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. This traffic also sustained a unique African American culture -- saloonkeepers, boardinghouse operators, entertainers, and women who served the steamboat hands between trips. Into this great western metropolis came young Lafcadio Hearn, who after several tentative starts became a newspaper reporter first for the Enquirer and then for the Commercial. Drawn to the Ohio River by his interest in the unusual, Hearn found beneath the rough surface of levee life a kind of cosmopolitan tolerance which emphasized the essential humanity of the community. Hearn's twelve sketches -- here reprinted as a unit for the first time -- are perceptive and sympathetic, yet not highly subjective and romanticized. Collectively they form an important comprehensive picture of African American life in a border city just after the Civil War. Among the earliest of his writings, they also foreshadow the course Hearn's life was to take in New Orleans, the West Indies, and finally Japan.

Lafcadio Hearn's deep admiration for Japanese culture led him to become a prominent figure in retelling Asian ghost stories. His collection features forty chilling tales drawn from various works, showcasing his talent for storytelling and his role in introducing Japanese mythology to a global audience. This edition highlights Hearn's unique ability to weave together macabre elements with cultural insights, making it a significant contribution to the understanding of Asian folklore at the turn of the 20th century.