Top-notch litblogger and reviewer Michael Orthofer is facilitiating this month's discussion of Rynosuke Akutagawa's Mandarins over at Words Without Borders.
To get the conversation started, Orthofer opens with reflections on one of Japan's most renowned (and mysterious) fiction writers:
"Ryunosuke Akutagawa is one of those authors often associated only with a single work—in his case, the story (or, more specifically, the title) Rashomon. It is Kurosawa’s film that’s to blame for immortalizing the title, but outside of Japan that’s the one work that Akutagawa’s name has been tied to—even though the film is based on two of Akutagawa’s stories, with the other, In a Bamboo Grove, providing much more of the source-material. ..."
How's will this online book club roll, especialy with a collection of stories? Orthofer's open to possibilities, "from considering specific themes to Western influences, the whole insanity thing, or translation issues."
Dig in.
Comments