Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

About the book

Hearn gathers Japanese tales of spirits, strange transformations, remembered promises, and encounters whose significance becomes clear only after the moment has passed. The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi and Yuki-Onna give artistic performance and intimate trust distinctive supernatural risks. Other narratives are brief enough to turn on a single uncanny recognition, while retaining a careful attention to setting and social circumstance. The final insect studies shift towards reflections on butterflies, mosquitoes, and ants, connecting observation with belief and imaginative association. The volume thus combines storytelling with a writer's interpretive curiosity rather than offering only a sequence of shocks. Its quieter effects depend on the possibility that a familiar place, object, or relationship may carry obligations and histories that its human participants do not yet understand.

• The supernatural
• Memory and obligation
• Perception and belief

Why read it

For restrained supernatural storytelling whose effects grow from atmosphere, remembered obligations, and the unexpected meaning of an encounter.

Stories and insect studies · English text by Lafcadio Hearn