This image is the cover for the book The Romance of the Milky Way, and Other Studies & Stories, Classics To Go

The Romance of the Milky Way, and Other Studies & Stories, Classics To Go

Lafcadio Hearn was a writer particularly gifted at translating a foreign aesthetic for a Western audience. Hearn's writing is always lyrical and passionate, and in this collection of essays and tales-not all of which are on subjects Japanese, unlike his most popular works-we see also his most refined workmanship and most intellectual discourse. Whether an extrapolation on Goblin Poetry, a discussion of the existential question, a passionate retelling of a mythic tale, or an illustration of Japan's social philosophy, the pieces herein form a portrait of a man who is taking us somewhere fantastic, but making us feel at home all the way. (Goodreads)

Lafcadio Hearn

Koizumi Yakumo (27 June 1850 – 26 September 1904), born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn was a writer. He worked in the United States before moving to Japan and becoming Japanese. He was of Greek-Irish descent. He wrote about Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. In the United States, he is also known for his writings about New Orleans, based on his decade-long stay there. Hearn was born on the Greek island of Lefkada to a Greek mother and an Irish father, after which a complex series of conflicts and events led to him being moved to Dublin, where he was abandoned first by his mother, then his father, and finally by his father's aunt (who had been appointed his official guardian). At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States, where he found work as a newspaper reporter, first in Cincinnati and later in New Orleans. From there, he was sent as a as a correspondent to the French West Indies, where he stayed for two years, and then to Japan, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In Japan, Hearn married a Japanese woman with whom he had four children. His writings about Japan offered the Western world a glimpse into a largely unknown but fascinating culture at the time. correspondent to the French West Indies, where he stayed for two years, and then to Japan, where he would remain for the rest of his life.

OTB ebook