http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon_%28short_story%29 - Akutagawa is known as "the father of the Japanese short story." This collection, first published in 1915, included about eight different stories, all exploring the darker side of life and the difficult choices people are often forced to make. Akira Kurosawa made the film "Rashomon" based on a number of Akutagawa's over 150 short stories. I've been shocked in this month's exploration of Japanese writers to encounter so many stories with haunting and disturbing themes. I'm not sure what I expected, but everything has left me feeling depressed and contemplating the meaning of life and the good/evil of human nature. Akutagawa's stories are short and the entire collection could easily be read in one sitting - but I think it would be a mistake to do this. It's simply too much to take in all at once.
(* - listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die)
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