An Incident in Hell

Most of Akutagawa’s novellas take place in the distant past. In antiquity, he looks for parallels to the actions and thoughts of his contemporaries: “The soul of a person in ancient times and the soul of a modern person have a lot in common. That’s what it’s all about.”

The diversity of historical, geographical, and cultural conditions helps construct situations in which a person’s identity, its core traits and qualities, and moral choices become visible. Akutagawa wrote a lot and in many different styles; he enjoyed immense success. Collections of his stories were published one after another and sold out quickly. In April 1925, a multi-volume series “Collected Modern Works” opened with his book.

Published with the support of the “Society for Russian-Japanese Friendship.” Also don’t miss Akutagawa’s earlier audiobooks: Kikuchi Kan “Portrait of a Lady with Pearls,” “The Classics of Japanese Short Stories.”