Lafcadio Hearn: 132 books

Two Years in the French West Indies is one of two books Lafcadio Hearn produced during his two-year stay in Martinque and other Caribbean islands, where he fell under their tropical spell. Published in 1890, this enchanting collection details his sojourn with its loving ”sketches” of the day-to-day life of the island people.

« Les chapitres qui forment le présent volume sont extraits de Glimpses of unfamiliar Japan l’une des premières oeuvres de Lafcadio Hearn.  Dans cette suite d’esquisses, l’auteur s’est efforcé, de nous révéler l’âme japonaise en ce qu’elle a de plus spécifique.  Aussi s’est-il...

Nato nell’arcipelago delle isole Ionie da padre irlandese e madre greca, lo scrittore e giornalista Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), dopo aver peregrinato tra l’Irlanda, gli Stati Uniti e le Indie Occidentali, nel 1890 si stabilì in Giappone, assumendo in seguito la cittadinanza di questo paese (con...

Nato nell’arcipelago delle isole Ionie da padre irlandese e madre greca, lo scrittore e giornalista Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), dopo aver peregrinato tra l’Irlanda, gli Stati Uniti e le Indie Occidentali, nel 1890 si stabilì in Giappone, assumendo in seguito la cittadinanza di questo paese (con...

Chinese Ghost Stories are a selection of the most entertaining Chinese traditional tales of the strange and fantastic. Hearn had a great affinity for the traditional ghost stories of China, and these stories clearly inspired him as he penned subsequent works. Set in richly atmospheric locales,...

Lafacadio Hearn left Cincinnati for New Orleans in 1877, where he remained for almost a decade. Whilst there he penned Gombo Zhebes, which is a collection of 352 Creole proverbs selected from 6 different dialects. Included are selections from the Creole of French Guyana, the Creole of Haiti, the Creole...

Gleanings in Buddha-Fields is the third book of Hearn's Japanese period, and was written at Kobe. In this volume of essays, intermingled with sketches in lighter vein, Hearn continues his philosophical studies. There are the unmistakable signs that even this ardor is losing zest. The charm of Japan...

Hearn collects seventeen Japanese ghost stories (and a few nonfiction pieces about insects) in this 1903 volume. While most of these stories are translations from older texts, one was the first printed recording of a Japanese farmer’s tale and a few others are Hearn originals. Included are accounts...

This is an omnibus edition of two early Hearn collections—*Stray Leaves from Strange Literature* (1884) and Fantastics and Other Fancies (published posthumously in 1914). The collections contain some of Hearn's first published works, pieces of journalism, sketches, and ghost stories that appeared in the New Orleans newspaper the Daily Item. 

Published posthumously in 1905, this book contains some of Hearn’s uncollected workand is a charming interpretation of Japanese culture. In “The Romance of the Milky Way,” Hearn examines the stories behind the age-old Tanabata festival. “Goblins” discusses poetry and some supernatural subjects...

Upon publication, the New York Times reviewed this 1895 collection of Hearn's essays and pieces of journalism, praising "the marvelous simplicity of his style, at once vigorous and delicate."  The contents run the gamut from spooky stories like "The Red Bridal" to the provocative cultural analysis of essays like "Jiujutsu."

This 1897 collection focuses on Hearn's perceptions of his newly adopted country of Japan through the lens of Buddhism. His beautiful musings on the juxtaposition between a children’s playground and death vivify the Buddhist idea of dying.  His reminiscence on a trip to Kyoto places the reader there, and his meditation on Nirvana is amazingly clear.

Written while Hearn was a professor of English literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo, Shadowings (1900) consists of three sections on various subjects. The first, “Stories from Strange Books,” contains six stories of horror folklore. The second section, "Japanese Studies," has musings on...

This 1898 collection is split into two parts:  The first, "Exotics," consists of Hearn's Japanese journalism; the second, "Retrospectives," contains his personal essays and reflections.  Standouts are "Fuji no Yama," recounting the author's grueling ascent of Mt. Fuji, and "Insect Musicians," relating the now-vanished market in music-making insects.