[Buddha-l] Ugetsu Monogatari

[jkirk]

Lovers of things Japanese, and of the classic film _Ugetsu_, might
be interested to know of this new translation of Akinari's old book.
I always find Buddhist notions embedded in Japanese literature of
this sort (think of Kurosawa's film, _Rashomon_, for ex.), plus 
the other charming elements drawn from folklore. Such tales often 
exemplify and illustrate human psychology--Freud's primary process
thinking, the ambiguous power of desire, etc. I ordered a copy and 
can't wait to read it. Yum.
Joanna
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January 4, 2007

Columbia University Press is pleased to announce the publication of a 
new translation of _Tales of Moonlight and Rain_  by Ueda Akinari, 
translated by Anthony Chambers.

First published in 1776, the nine gothic tales in this collection are 
Japan's finest and most celebrated examples of the literature of the 
occult. They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the 
uncanny and exemplify the period's fascination with the strange and the 
grotesque. The title, _Ugetsu Monogatari_ (literally "rain-moon tales"), 
alludes to the belief that mysterious beings appear on cloudy, rainy 
nights and in mornings with a lingering moon. In "Shiramine," the 
vengeful ghost of the former emperor Sutoku reassumes the role of king; 
in "The Chrysanthemum Vow," a faithful revenant fulfills a promise; "The 
Kibitsu Cauldron" tells a tale of spirit possession; and in "The Carp of 
My Dreams," a man straddles the boundaries between human and animal and 
between the waking world and the world of dreams. The remaining stories 
feature demons, fiends, goblins, strange dreams, and other 
manifestations beyond all logic and common sense.

Anthony H. Chambers is a professor of Japanese literature and literary 
translation at Arizona State University. He has translated many works of 
Japanese literature, both classical and modern.

For more information please visit: 
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/catalog/data/978023113/9780231139120.HTM