Fiction. Asian Studies. Translated from the Japanese by Anthony Barnett and Toraiwa Naoko. Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892-1927) is one of 20th Japan's great storytellers. He is best known in the West for his two stories—"Rashomon" and "Within a Grove"—being the basis of Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon.

Akutagawa read widely in world literature. He graduated from Tokyo University with a thesis on William Morris. His mentor was the great novelist Natsume Soseki, who had lived in London at the turn of the century.

Akutagawa's writings include reworkings of motifs and tales of China's and Japan's past, modern fables, essays, and a few autobiographical fictions which, like A FOOL'S LIFE, follow his intense engagement and difficulty with the world. He ended his brief life the month after completing A FOOL'S LIFE.

Author City: Tokyo JAP

Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892-1927) was a Japanese writer active in Taisho period Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story" and is noted for his superb style and finely detailed stories that explore the darker side of human nature.