Rashomon and Other Stories

'As the scriptures say, man's life is as fragile as a drop of dew and as brief as a flash of lightning.'

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) was one of the most famous writers of prewar Japan. Best-known for his 1915 short story "Rashōmon"—the basis for Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film of the same name—Akutagawa was a master literary stylist whose stories ranged from blood-soaked murder mysteries set in medieval Japan to works exploring the complexities, contradictions, and ambiguities of modern life....