Tales Grotesque and Curious

About this book

A thief waits beneath Kyoto's ruined Rashōmon gate. A monk is tormented by the absurd length of his nose. A spider's thread hangs between paradise and hell. Akutagawa turns brief situations into unforgettable moral traps.

The 1930 English collection includes eleven stories, among them Rashōmon, The Nose and The Spider's Thread. Akutagawa moves between old Japan, absurd humour and moments of sudden cruelty. A small reversal or final image can turn an amusing tale into an uncomfortable question about human nature.