Short Stories

Hell Screen

Hell Screen

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-08 09:53:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
  • ISBN：0241573696
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Summary

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible， mini editions of short stories， novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers， designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith。

Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics， they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna， from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island， and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon。 Beautifully designed and printed， these collectible editions are bound in colourful， tactile cloth and stamped with foil。

Akutagawa was one of the towering figures of modern Japanese literature， and is considered the father of the Japanese short story。 This paradigmatic selection， which includes the stories that inspired Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon， showcases the terrible beauty， cynicism， sublime pain and absurd humour of his writing。

'One never tires of reading and re-reading his best works。 The elegantly spare style has a truly spine-tingling brilliance' - Haruki Murakami

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Reviews

natasha ，

Oh my god。 The monkey！！！！ If i could un-read this。。。 maybe i would。 Nevertheless， very good。

nat ，

how can I feel so close to some Japanese writer that died like 100 years ago I can't explain （ya lo puse pero este mejor） how can I feel so close to some Japanese writer that died like 100 years ago I can't explain （ya lo puse pero este mejor） 。。。more

Nique 💫 chroniqled ✨ ，

Horrifying but so well written！

Abhinav Dey Sarkar ，

BARBARICALLY DELICIOUS！It's a short story that is straightforward yet very complexly vivid。 The imagery used here is pure bliss， not only that it also addresses many serious issues such can be artist's passion and the different kinds of parental care， etc。YOSHIDE is a painter who was commissioned by a lord to create the Buddhist hells on a screen， and so he did but had to suffer hell for that。Now， coming back to the issues it portrayed so well （these are a few things I pondered upon）1。 There was BARBARICALLY DELICIOUS！It's a short story that is straightforward yet very complexly vivid。 The imagery used here is pure bliss， not only that it also addresses many serious issues such can be artist's passion and the different kinds of parental care， etc。YOSHIDE is a painter who was commissioned by a lord to create the Buddhist hells on a screen， and so he did but had to suffer hell for that。Now， coming back to the issues it portrayed so well （these are a few things I pondered upon）1。 There was no woman in character except Yoshide`s daughter， why？ and we don't know her name she is just Yoshide~ daughter， what does that mean？ well， not only her daughter but also the Lord himself， who commissioned Yoshihide， is referred to as just a LORD。 this is to put more emphasis on the character called Yoshide and how he deals with others， his lord， daughter， assistants， and even society。2。 Why does the narrator like the LORD？ why do they defend him so much？ They say that the lord didn't have an affair with Yoshide`s daughter， again and again， and well is quite impressed by him。 And we know how the lord did the atrocity to kill an innocent。 I think this to make us readers think that the rumors might not be just rumors。 Not to mention the incident where the monkey takes the narrator to the room where Yoshihide`s` daughter might have been defiled。 Was this the lord or。。。maybe Yoshide， why？ well the lord calls the daughter disgraceful when she was put into the chariot which was to be burned with her。 Was this act simply pleasure or an act of punishment to Yoshihide for doing something vile with his daughter？ （this is just my analogy）3。 The human and monkey are both named Yoshide， while the father Yoshide does love his daughter very much but he doesn't protect or care for her， this alteration is shown in the monkey Yoshide where he cares and protects and even puts his life to danger by jumping in the fire to save the daughter 。4。 The passion for art is both in Yoshihide and the lord but while one makes it the other appreciates it。 The father after seeing his daughter burnt for the sake to create a painting， is not crying or has gone mad but rather subtly uses this image as a context for his art， later he commits suicide but。。。5。 The painter commits suicide but does he die because of his guilt for his daughter's death or because he knows he can't paint anymore and eventually exhausted himself？ 6。 What was the hell， the painting or the atrocious things committed to getting the hell`s screen done？Just loved the subtle horror story， not like that western horror where the desperation to put horror is quite visible and turns into another of those chaotic stories which don't make sense to me。 。。。more

Giang H ，

v cool

m ，

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Andrada Brătescu ，

As always， Akutagawa's stories touch many subjects， varying from history and imagining how the people involved in the scenario had acted and felt， to religious symbolism， to stories that resemble fairy tales， legends and myths， to dealing with grief and even to the author's mental health decline。 A beautiful and interesting collection of stories indeed！ As always， Akutagawa's stories touch many subjects， varying from history and imagining how the people involved in the scenario had acted and felt， to religious symbolism， to stories that resemble fairy tales， legends and myths， to dealing with grief and even to the author's mental health decline。 A beautiful and interesting collection of stories indeed！ 。。。more

Julie Eastlick ，

Wonderful and dark stories/fablesI came across these two short stories because of another book I am currently reading。 The current book is called Last Winter， We Parted by Fuminori Nakamura。 He references Hell Screen throughout the book。 Hell Screen was very dark and eerie。 The second story is called The Spider’s Thread。 This story was more like a fable while the first was more like a dark fairy tale。 I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes these kind of stories。

saïd ，

地獄変 （地獄， hell + 変， strange）/"Hell Screen" by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke （芥川 龍之介）。 Translation by Jay Rubin。 地獄変 （地獄， hell + 変， strange）/"Hell Screen" by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke （芥川 龍之介）。 Translation by Jay Rubin。 。。。more

F Gato ，

How visual his words are！ Marvelous writing。And I think I have found my personal Japanese versions of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky。

Nikita ，

Rating: 78%50/60 literary depth19/25 personal enjoyment9/15 emotional depth

Lily ，

"Hell Screen" is a masterpiece， albeit a ruthless one。 One of Akutagawa's short stories it delivers a powerful message in less than 30 pages。 The force with which Akutagawa describes the brutal and the vulgar of life shocks in its intensity。 Some of the themes made use of are: -the misunderstood artist -the agony of creation -the cost of inspiration -the ephemeral and mutable nature of life "Hell Screen" is a masterpiece， albeit a ruthless one。 One of Akutagawa's short stories it delivers a powerful message in less than 30 pages。 The force with which Akutagawa describes the brutal and the vulgar of life shocks in its intensity。 Some of the themes made use of are: -the misunderstood artist -the agony of creation -the cost of inspiration -the ephemeral and mutable nature of life 。。。more

areen ，

4。5

ouillen ，

What a vivid story！ I didn't know it was possible to be so immersed with such a short story as this one。 As an artist myself， and currently going through a dreaded burn out， this story has kind of， in a way， reignited my passion for art 😅 tragic for the daughter and the monkey tho 😔 What a vivid story！ I didn't know it was possible to be so immersed with such a short story as this one。 As an artist myself， and currently going through a dreaded burn out， this story has kind of， in a way， reignited my passion for art 😅 tragic for the daughter and the monkey tho 😔 。。。more

Minh ，

Trong hơn 12 năm sáng tạo， Akutagawa đã cho thấy được sự quan sát tinh tế cũng như sức sáng tạo trong việc sử dụng những chất liệu cũ。 Ở quãng đầu sự nghiệp sáng tác， có thể thấy ông đã dùng lại khá nhiều những điển tích， điển cố， truyện cổ， sự tích… khá đặc trưng của Nhật Bản。 Tuy nhiên cũng như các nghiên cứu cho thấy， ông không giữ nguyên những gì nghe được， học được; mà có cách khoác lên chúng chiếc áo mới rất thú vị và nhiều đổi mới。Cũng như người thầy Natsume Soseki của mình khai thác một Trong hơn 12 năm sáng tạo， Akutagawa đã cho thấy được sự quan sát tinh tế cũng như sức sáng tạo trong việc sử dụng những chất liệu cũ。 Ở quãng đầu sự nghiệp sáng tác， có thể thấy ông đã dùng lại khá nhiều những điển tích， điển cố， truyện cổ， sự tích… khá đặc trưng của Nhật Bản。 Tuy nhiên cũng như các nghiên cứu cho thấy， ông không giữ nguyên những gì nghe được， học được; mà có cách khoác lên chúng chiếc áo mới rất thú vị và nhiều đổi mới。Cũng như người thầy Natsume Soseki của mình khai thác một cách triệt để cõi lòng của những tri thức trước ngưỡng cửa chuyển giao mới – cũ， Đông – Tây; Akutagawa tập trung khắc họa những giằng co giữa thiện – ác， đẹp đẽ - xấu xa cũng như những niềm vui giản dị và dục vọng thấp hèn trong mỗi con người。 Được đánh giá là người dung hòa được những tinh hoa lý trí của chủ nghĩa tự nhiên và sắc màu lãng mạn phóng túng của chủ nghĩa duy mỹ; những “vùng tối” của con người mà ông mô tả vừa trần trụi nhưng cũng văn chương một cách không ngờ。Qua đời do dùng quá liều thuốc ngủ ở tuổi 35， sự mất mát của Akutagawa để lại một mất mát lớn cho văn chương cận đại Nhật Bản nói riêng， cũng như thể loại truyện ngắn của thế giới nói chung。 Với sự đa dạng thể loại từ việc sáng tạo các hình thức mới， sự mô tả tâm lý thần sầu cũng như cách thể hiện hiện thực vô cùng độc đáo; văn chương của Akutagawa là sự hòa trộn đặc biệt giữa hiện thực và huyền ảo， trong bút pháp hoa mỹ và súc tích。Trong những tác phẩm cuối đời ông viết “Phù du ơi， chỉ sống ngoài mộ địa” như bao hàm trọn vẹn con người ông， một cánh bướm chao nghiêng giữa đêm trường tăm tối， rồi nằm mãi trên bãi tha ma của những linh hồn vật vờ。 Nhưng là cánh bướm có sức nặng và tầm ảnh hưởng đến muôn đời sau。 。。。more

Clearhazedaze ，

Akutagawa's stories fascinate me， in pace， wording ，world and character building in so few pages， and leave my brain spinning afterwards。 His writing keeps me hooked and engrossed 。 Akutagawa's stories fascinate me， in pace， wording ，world and character building in so few pages， and leave my brain spinning afterwards。 His writing keeps me hooked and engrossed 。 。。。more

Auspicious Crane ，

In the process of drawing a picture of hell， an artist creates hell on Earth。 This book splendidly depicted the madness of a human being， drawing the reader mind's deep into madness as well。 In the process of drawing a picture of hell， an artist creates hell on Earth。 This book splendidly depicted the madness of a human being， drawing the reader mind's deep into madness as well。 。。。more

Ilay ，

The first story， Hell Screen， was a really disturbing one。 But I loved it nonetheless。 Everything he depicted in the Hell Screen strongly reminded me of the paintings of Bosch though I don't know if there is any connection there。 I am very curious about other works of him now。 I just learned he had a famous（？） dispute with Tanizaki too。 I would love to read more about it， if I can find a good source。 The first story， Hell Screen， was a really disturbing one。 But I loved it nonetheless。 Everything he depicted in the Hell Screen strongly reminded me of the paintings of Bosch though I don't know if there is any connection there。 I am very curious about other works of him now。 I just learned he had a famous（？） dispute with Tanizaki too。 I would love to read more about it， if I can find a good source。 。。。more

Thiri Zune ，

I am amazed at the bias in the narrator's voice and I really start to not to trust the narrator in the middle since he is trying to brush off his master's own outgoings as rumours。 This makes me think that I could also write stories where narrator is just being a human， biased and blind to his own servings。 I am amazed at the bias in the narrator's voice and I really start to not to trust the narrator in the middle since he is trying to brush off his master's own outgoings as rumours。 This makes me think that I could also write stories where narrator is just being a human， biased and blind to his own servings。 。。。more

Hanieh ，

پشمام پشمام پشماممم

E。 ，

My first pair of Akutagawa short stories。 I liked the subject matter very much。 Both stories reminded me of Dante’s Inferno。 The first story （my favourite of the two） was absolutely chilling！ It is a tale about an obsessed artist， descending into the depths of perversion and insanity for his work。 The way Akutagawa saw the beauty in horror and horror in beauty was very pleasing to me。 It is a truly Japanese， though he seems to have been influenced by The first thing that struck me as interesting My first pair of Akutagawa short stories。 I liked the subject matter very much。 Both stories reminded me of Dante’s Inferno。 The first story （my favourite of the two） was absolutely chilling！ It is a tale about an obsessed artist， descending into the depths of perversion and insanity for his work。 The way Akutagawa saw the beauty in horror and horror in beauty was very pleasing to me。 It is a truly Japanese， though he seems to have been influenced by The first thing that struck me as interesting was his use of imagery。 The imagery in this book is very vivid and grotesque 。。。more

Dave Marsland ，

Very strange， slightly terrifying and brilliant。

Debumere ，

There were two books in this one - Hell Screen - which was dark AF and The Spider's Thread。 Going to have a look at his other stories because I really enjoyed these。 There were two books in this one - Hell Screen - which was dark AF and The Spider's Thread。 Going to have a look at his other stories because I really enjoyed these。 。。。more

Sana ，

فقط خودمو بزور نگه داشتم که جیغ نزنم تو کتابخونه！

Anahita Solot ，

داستان اول به شدت تکان‌دهنده و وحشتناک بود。 داستان از جانب نگهبانی بیان می‌شد که تمام حقایق رو نمی‌دونست و همین جذاب‌ترش می‌کرد。داستان دوم رو قبلا جایی خونده بودم اما به این شکل نبود。 دونستن نسخه‌ی اصلیش برام جالب بود。

Connor Smith ，

I’ve just read this in one sitting， the span of an hour， and I’m simply dumbfounded。 My eyes are wide， my jaw has quite literally dropped。 The two （closely related） stories found here， despite the relative recency in their composition， feel ageless — or more accurately， mythic。 They are potent and affective; this book is transcendent。 I will not describe it further， because you should approach these stories with as little knowledge of their contents as possible， but you must find a copy now。 The I’ve just read this in one sitting， the span of an hour， and I’m simply dumbfounded。 My eyes are wide， my jaw has quite literally dropped。 The two （closely related） stories found here， despite the relative recency in their composition， feel ageless — or more accurately， mythic。 They are potent and affective; this book is transcendent。 I will not describe it further， because you should approach these stories with as little knowledge of their contents as possible， but you must find a copy now。 These are the heaviest sixty pages I have read in recent memory。 Read it now。 。。。more

Suzanne Kramb ，

What in the actual heck？ My mind is still reeling from every single moment of this story。 To think it started with: "he was a man of great magnanimity who shared his joys with the wider world" for it to only end with: "he panted like a beast in need of water。" Like， how does one start reading something new when your mind is consumed with our haunting human capacity for greed， truth， realism， agony， and all things horrifying in this world？ There's beauty in ugliness。 There's beauty in pain。 But c What in the actual heck？ My mind is still reeling from every single moment of this story。 To think it started with: "he was a man of great magnanimity who shared his joys with the wider world" for it to only end with: "he panted like a beast in need of water。" Like， how does one start reading something new when your mind is consumed with our haunting human capacity for greed， truth， realism， agony， and all things horrifying in this world？ There's beauty in ugliness。 There's beauty in pain。 But can something to this extreme， be beautiful？ Oh， my heart hurts。 。。。more

Nomad nimrod ，

Not bad。

Lu ，

*2。5THIS WAS SO CRAZY？！）？（！ I really liked the way this is written and I think the story itself is super engaging and of course it was part of the dread section in this collection of stories and I mean。。。。the feeling of dread in the climax scene。。。。real。 I also feel like thematically I enjoyed this kind of look into a man who’ll do so many things for the accuracy of his painting and the subsequent。。。。”revenge”。。。if u will。 Excited to read more from him！

Ipsa ，

The seductive mystique that the European vampire/ghost chooses to hide behind is tainted by the current nude vulgarity of the West， and in that stride， they aren't really mysterious。 Cold isn't that scary anymore。 Japenese ghosts， however， represent the sonorous quiet of taboos that must accompany transgressions of any kind， peak perversity。 Spring is still the most treacherous of all seasons。Japenese horror， therefore， is more batshit than the European one。This barely has anything to do with th The seductive mystique that the European vampire/ghost chooses to hide behind is tainted by the current nude vulgarity of the West， and in that stride， they aren't really mysterious。 Cold isn't that scary anymore。 Japenese ghosts， however， represent the sonorous quiet of taboos that must accompany transgressions of any kind， peak perversity。 Spring is still the most treacherous of all seasons。Japenese horror， therefore， is more batshit than the European one。This barely has anything to do with the story。 All of this is just to say that I am more scared of the Japenese ghosts than I am of the English ones。 And I am going to dream about the Dantean depths of art that the Hell Screen plunges into for days to come！ My poor impressionable brain！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hell Screen

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hell Screen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hell Screen&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0