Written while Hearn was a professor of English literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo, Shadowings (1900) consists of three sections on various subjects. The first, “Stories from Strange Books, ” contains six stories of horror folklore. The second section, ’Japanese Studies, ’ has musings on cicadas, female Japanese names, and old Japanese songs. “Fantasies, ” the last section, consists of seven additional essays, including one on the “horror” and glory of Gothic architecture.
Om författaren
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), also known as Koizumi Yakumo, was born in Greece, raised in Ireland, spent years in America, and finally became a citizen of Japan. A journalist and translator, he played a major role in introducing Japanese culture to the West. His translations of Japanese fairy tales and ghost stories were especially influential.