Otogizoshi: the Fairy Tale Book of Dazai Osamu (Translated) |
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Author:
| Dazai, Osamu |
Translator:
| McCarthy, Ralph F. |
Series title: | Otogizoshi: the Fairy Tale Book of Dazai Osamu (Translated) Ser. |
ISBN: | 978-4-902075-44-1 |
Publication Date: | Jun 2011 |
Publisher: | Kurodahan Press
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Book Format: | Ebook |
List Price: | USD $4.99 |
Book Description:
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Dazai Osamu wrote The Fairy Tale Book (Otogizoshi) in the last months of the Pacific War. The traditional tales upon which Dazai's retellings are based are well known to every Japanese schoolchild, but this is no children's book. In Dazai's hands such stock characters as the kindhearted Oji-san to Oba-san ("Grandmother and Grandfather"), the mischievous tanuki badger, the fearsome Oni ogres, the greedy old man, the "tongue-cut" sparrow, and of course Urashima Taro (the Japanese Rip van...
More DescriptionDazai Osamu wrote The Fairy Tale Book (Otogizoshi) in the last months of the Pacific War. The traditional tales upon which Dazai's retellings are based are well known to every Japanese schoolchild, but this is no children's book. In Dazai's hands such stock characters as the kindhearted Oji-san to Oba-san ("Grandmother and Grandfather"), the mischievous tanuki badger, the fearsome Oni ogres, the greedy old man, the "tongue-cut" sparrow, and of course Urashima Taro (the Japanese Rip van Winkle) become complex individuals facing difficult and nuanced moral dilemmas. The resulting stories are thought-provoking, slyly subversive, and often hilarious.