{"product_id":"tales-of-moonlight-and-rain-9780231139137","title":"Tales of Moonlight and Rain","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1776, the nine gothic tales in this collection are Japan's finest and most celebrated examples of the literature of the occult. They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the uncanny and exemplify the period's fascination with the strange and the grotesque. They were also the inspiration for Mizoguchi Kenji's brilliant 1953 film \u003ci\u003eUgetsu\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe title \u003ci\u003eUgetsu monogatari\u003c\/i\u003e (literally \"rain-moon tales\") alludes to the belief that mysterious beings appear on cloudy, rainy nights and in mornings with a lingering moon. In \"Shiramine,\" the vengeful ghost of the former emperor Sutoku reassumes the role of king; in \"The Chrysanthemum Vow,\" a faithful revenant fulfills a promise; \"The Kibitsu Cauldron\" tells a tale of spirit possession; and in \"The Carp of My Dreams,\" a man straddles the boundaries between human and animal and between the waking world and the world of dreams. The remaining stories feature demons, fiends, goblins, strange dreams, and other manifestations beyond all logic and common sense. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe eerie beauty of this masterpiece owes to Akinari's masterful combination of words and phrases from Japanese classics with creatures from Chinese and Japanese fiction and lore. Along with \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Tales of the Heike\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTales of Moonlight and Rain\u003c\/i\u003e has become a timeless work of great significance. This new translation, by a noted translator and scholar, skillfully maintains the allure and complexity of Akinari's original prose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUeda Akinari (1734-1809), one of the great writers of Japanese fiction, was also a scholar, poet, physician, and tea master. Anthony H. Chambers is professor of Japanese literature and literary translation at Arizona State University. He has translated many works of Japanese literature, both classical and modern, and is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Window: Ideal Worlds in Tanizaki's Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50503147782418,"sku":"9780231139137","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c2d63696-03eb-47e8-919e-e6ee365a9edd.jpg?v=1730783835","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/tales-of-moonlight-and-rain-9780231139137","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}