Page:Eminent Authors of Contemporary Japan, volume 2.pdf/81



Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the author of the following stories, was born in the twenty-fifth year of Meiji (1892), in the city of Tokyo. After finishing the course of the Tokyo First High School, he entered the College of Literature of the Tokyo Imperial University, and after a few years he graduated from that institution with high literary honours.

In his writings he showed a deep penetration into human nature, but at the same time he was gifted with a clear and reasonable outlook on life. This saved his writings from becoming decadent in character. He can be termed as a ‘modernist’ in the true sense of the word.

With the exception of a few mythical stories, such as ‘Tu Zuchun,’ most of his works have been chosen from historical facts. His method of writing is straightforward, yet veiled with a subtle and satirical humour. His style has been frequently likened to that of the Russian novelist, Anton Tchekhov. But while the latter embodies his stories with warmth, humour and tragedy, Akutagawa is cold, and lacks the warmth of the former writer.

His expression is as clear and transparent as a cool mountain stream which glitters under the autumn sunlight.

Although quite young, Akutagawa was one of Japan’s most learned writers, and was a fine scholar or Japanese, Chinese and Western literatures.

Some of his most famous stories are as follows:—