Author:Ryunosuke Akutagawa,Jay Rubin
'What is the life of a human being - a drop of dew, a flash of lightning? This is so sad, so sad.'
Autobiographical stories from one of Japan's masters of modernist story-telling.
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927). Akutagawa's Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories is also available in Penguin Classics.
Beautifully written collection of short stories.
—— CloserHere was a writer whose excellence and vision consumed his life… The writer proves that he knows the truth better than God. Reading Manto is like trying to understand an entire civilization in two lines. He spoke too much in few words, which invariably made the words sharp enough to pierce through our hearts.
—— Culture TripThe undisputed master of the modern Indian short story
—— Salman Rushdie , ObserverManto's irony and humanity raises him on par with Gogol
—— Anita Desai , SpectatorOne of the most gifted short-story writers produced by the sub-continent
—— GuardianShe can be sparingly tragic and unsparingly funny... A unique writer
—— Ruth RendellTaken together, these tales present a powerful account of the snatched joys and encumbrances of decrepitude in well-turned prose that brings wit, charm and gravity to its theme
—— Financial TimesExpert, elegant, mature and passionate.
—— ScotsmanCompelling tales of family dramas in troubled times.
—— HeraldCharacters all but leap off the page with believability in these marvellous stories of life (and death) in Belfast. Funny...and forlorn, they are triumphs of exactness – Joyce and Chekhov come to mind – in which time, place and personality are caught with unshowy authority and not a word seems wasted.
—— Peter Kemp , The Sunday TimesBitter-sweetness is the mood of many of these stories. MacLaverty is a generous and sympathetic writer, one who is capable of celebrating joy and happiness, while remaining aware that life often brings more disappointments than rewards.
—— Scotsman (Web)A masterpiece of wit and elegance.
—— Elspeth Barker , Literary ReviewThe author charts the various stages of life with engaging curiosity and earthy compassion... The publishers, Jonathan Cape, have done a fine job with this handsome and substantial collection.
—— Keith Hopper , Times Literary SupplementAll the customary satisfactions of Burnside's writing – anomie, menace, flashes of violence and cruelty, hallucination and snow – but multiplied.
—— Sunday TelegraphEven Burnside’s most routine stories have beauty and intelligence. He is never less than something like brilliant.
—— Daily TelegraphA tremendous collection from a writer working at the full tilt of his gifts.
—— Kevin Barry , Ormskirk Advertiser