Japanese Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library) - Softcover

Tyler, Royall

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0394756568 ISBN 13: 9780394756561

Publisher: Pantheon, 1989

Synopsis

A dazzling selection of over 200 tales from medieval Japan, including stories of miracle, visions of hell, jokes, fables and historical legends.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Few readers who start the book will be able to resist going through to the end."

-- New York Times

"Fresh, imaginative, and uniquely organized...told in a style clear, homey, and unpretentious, [they] yield great pleasure."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"Enchanting....The stories are variously witty, allegorical, mystical, gross, funny, and enigmatic....Tyler provides a helpful introduction, and his poised translations are something of a masterpiece." -- Publishers Weekly

"Translated with exceptional skill, this is a perfect example of scholarship concealing scholarship. Tyler has made these tales read gracefully and effortlessly. He writes in a lively and colloquial style that effectively captures the spirit of the originals without being jarringly modern. This is an important book."

-- Donald Keene, Shincho Professor of Japanese, Columbia University

Here is a dazzling selection of over two hundred tales from medieval Japan. Edited and translated with the surest possible touch, Japanese Tales opens a window on a fabulous, faraway world, populated by saints and scoundrels, ghosts, magical healers, supernatural creatures, and a vast assortment of deities and demons in all sizes and shapes.

The 220 tales collected here include stories of miracles, visions of hell, jokes, fables, and legends from history. Royall Tyler's translations are nothing short of superb -- crisp, restrained, ably balancing the ribald and the profound. The results make available masterpieces from five centuries of Japanese literature. This book is a stellar addition to Pantheon's "outstanding folklore series" (Booklist).

From the Inside Flap:

election of over 200 tales from medieval Japan, including stories of miracle, visions of hell, jokes, fables and historical legends.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0394756568
• ISBN 13: 9780394756561
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400