YUKI-ONNA AND OTHER STORIES

33 short stories by Lafcadio Hearn, born 1850 in Levkás, Greece, who moved to Ireland when he was only two years old. In 1869, he emigrated to the US and his stories found appeal in national magazines like Harper's Weekly. Accepting a commission to visit Japan as a correspondent, he married a Japanese woman and became an ardent supporter of traditional Japanese practices, learning the language and adopting traditional dress and preserving the legends and stories of ancient Japan from the onslaught of modernisation and economic progress. He recorded the folklore of the local population in the form of short stories written in English and these are some of his most powerful works, bringing to life the magic and mystery of the East. This anthology includes a selection of his Japanese ghost stories including such favourites as Ingwa-Banashi, The Corpse-Rider, The Mirror Maiden, A Passional Karma, The Goblin-Spider, Of a Promise Broken, and Jikininki among them. The ghoulish beings range from spectral brides to vengeful phantoms and unruly goblins as Hearn creates a series of unforgettable tales and forgotten worlds. 191pp in new full price paperback.