Book cover of Japanese Ghost Stories

Book description

The dead wreak revenge on the living, paintings come alive, spectral brides possess mortal men and a priest devours human flesh in these chilling Japanese ghost stories retold by a master of the supernatural. Lafcadio Hearn drew on the phantoms and ghouls of traditional Japanese folklore - including the headless…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Japanese Ghost Stories as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Though not a native of Japan, Lafcadio Hearn became world-renowned for his Japanese “yūrei” or “ghost stories.” This collection comprises over thirty tales, including the ones that inspired the iconic Japanese film Kwaidan.

Rooted in the folklore, tradition, and supernatural fancy of classic Japan, Hearns will, at times, interrupt his stories with authorial interjections, digressions, and ruminations, which creates an intimate feeling (as if the tale is being orally presented to you in present time).

Covering a range of moods and tones, from the cryptically bizarre to the ethereally dreamlike to the phantasmagorically grotesque, this collection served as a riveting…

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