TALES OF MOONLIGHT AND RAIN - Japanese Gothic Tales (Ugetsu Monogatari)

Ueda Akinari (Translated by Anthony H. Chambers)

ISBN 10: 0231139128 / ISBN 13: 9780231139120

Edité par Columbia University Press, New York, 2007

A propos de cet article

First thus - a new translation by noted translator and scholar Anthony H. Chambers in the Translations from the Asian Classics series. The book was originally published in English translation, also by the University of British Columbia Press in 1974. With full number-string sequence on the publisher's copyright page: c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. ***Near fine in maroon cloth covered boards with white titles to the spine, and white ISBN number printed on the back board. The boards are clean and unmarked. No bump or creases. Corners sharp. No reading lean. Spine tight. Internally also near fine with no inscriptions. Printed on very thin acid-free paper. Pages clean. Illustrated front and rear endpapers. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated dustwrapper. The dustwrapper has no noticeable faults. No rubbing. No creases. No tears. No fading. Dustwrapper bright. The dustwrapper has been protected with a removable acetate protective covering. ***210mm x135mm. 235 pages including a 44 page Introduction by the translator, five pages of Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and eight pages of other works in the Columbia Asian Studies series. ***'First published in 1776, the nine gothic tales in this collection are Japan's finest and most celebrated examples of the literature of the occult. They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the uncanny and exemplify the period's fascination with the strange and the grotesque. They were also the inspiration for Mizoguchi Kenji's brilliant 1953 film of the same name. ***The eerie beauty of this masterpiece owes to Akinari's masterful combination of words and phrases from Japanese classics with creatures from Chinese and Japanese fiction and lore. Along with "The Tale of Genji" and "The Tales of the Heike", "Tales of Moonlight and Rain" has become a timeless work of great significance. This new translation, by a noted translator and scholar, skillfully maintains the allure and complexity of Akinari's original prose.' [Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper] ***'Ueda Akinari (1734-1809), one of the great writers of Japanese fiction, was also a scholar, poet, physician and tea master." (Quote taken from the back flap of the dustwrapper) ***First impression of this new translation, in very nice collectable condition. A virtually fine copy - the book is very hard to find in the UK. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.

N° de réf. du vendeur 8738

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: TALES OF MOONLIGHT AND RAIN - Japanese Gothic Tales (Ugetsu Monogatari)
• Éditeur: Columbia University Press, New York
• Date de parution: 2007
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0231139128
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780231139120
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Édition: First Edition in English
• Impression: First Impression
• État de l'article: Near Fine
• État de la jaquette: Near Fine
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • First Editions
  • Literature in Translation

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

First published in 1776, the nine gothic tales in this collection are Japan's finest and most celebrated examples of the literature of the occult. They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the uncanny and exemplify the period's fascination with the strange and the grotesque. They were also the inspiration for Mizoguchi Kenji's brilliant 1953 film Ugetsu.

The title Ugetsu monogatari (literally "rain-moon tales") alludes to the belief that mysterious beings appear on cloudy, rainy nights and in mornings with a lingering moon. In "Shiramine," the vengeful ghost of the former emperor Sutoku reassumes the role of king; in "The Chrysanthemum Vow," a faithful revenant fulfills a promise; "The Kibitsu Cauldron" tells a tale of spirit possession; and in "The Carp of My Dreams," a man straddles the boundaries between human and animal and between the waking world and the world of dreams. The remaining stories feature demons, fiends, goblins, strange dreams, and other manifestations beyond all logic and common sense.

The eerie beauty of this masterpiece owes to Akinari's masterful combination of words and phrases from Japanese classics with creatures from Chinese and Japanese fiction and lore. Along with The Tale of Genji and The Tales of the Heike, Tales of Moonlight and Rain has become a timeless work of great significance. This new translation, by a noted translator and scholar, skillfully maintains the allure and complexity of Akinari's original prose.

À propos de l'auteur

Ueda Akinari (1734-1809), one of the great writers of Japanese fiction, was also a scholar, poet, physician, and tea master. Anthony H. Chambers is professor of Japanese literature and literary translation at Arizona State University. He has translated many works of Japanese literature, both classical and modern, and is the author of The Secret Window: Ideal Worlds in Tanizaki's Fiction.