Synopses & Reviews
andlt;bandgt;This collection of mystery and horror stories is regarded as Japan's answer to Edgar Allan Poe.andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imaginationandlt;/iandgt;, the first volume of its kind translated into English, is written with the quick tempo of the West but rich with the fantasy of the East. These nine bloodcurdling, chilling tales present a genre of literature largely unknown to readers outside Japan, including the strange story of a quadruple amputee and his perverse wife; the record of a man who creates a mysterious chamber of mirrors and discovers hidden pleasures within; the morbid confession of a maniac who envisions a career of foolproof "psychological" murders; and the bizarre tale of a chair-maker who buries himself inside an armchair and enjoys the sordid "loves" of the women who sit on his handiwork.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Lucid and packed with suspense, Edogawa Rampo's stories found in andlt;iandgt;Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imaginationandlt;/iandgt; have enthralled Japanese readers for over half a century.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Mystery stories include:andlt;/bandgt;andlt;ulandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Human Chairandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Caterpillarandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt;Two Crippled Menandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Pictureandlt;/liandgt;andlt;/ulandgt;
Review
"Rampo is Japan's foremost writer of mystery and tales of suspense."and#8212;andlt;iandgt;The Journal of Asian Studiesandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Japan's most famous mystery story writer is named Edogawa Rampo. Rampo took this name because he is a great admirer of Poe. When a visiting American asked [a noted Japanese psychologist] if the Japanese reading public didn't confuse Rampo with the real Edgar Allan Poe, he replied, 'Oh, no andhellip; Edogawa Rampo is much more famous.'" and#8212;andlt;bandgt;David Dempsey, andlt;iandgt;New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
Collected in this chilling volume are some of the famous Japanese mystery writer Edowaga RampoÆs best stories—bizarre and blood-curdling expeditions into the fantastic, the perverse, and the strange, in a marvelous homage to Rampo's literary "mentor," Edgar Allan Poe.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Edogawa Rampoandlt;/bandgt; (Hirai Taro, 1894-1965) is widely regarded as the father of Japanese mystery writing. Born in Mie Prefecture, he graduated in 1916 from Waseda University and took on a series of odd jobs, working as an accountant, clerk, salesman, and peddler of noodles from a cart, before discovering his vocation as a writer. The first modern writer of mysteries in Japan, and long-time president of the Japan Mystery Writers' Club, Rampo derived his pen name from the Japanese pronunciation of Edgar Allan Poe, under whose spell he fell early in his career.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Patricia Welchandlt;/bandgt; is an Associate Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature in the Department of Comparative Literature at Hofstra University.