Japanese Tales

Japanese Tales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library), edited by translated by Royall Tyler / ISBN 9780375714511 / 340-page paperback

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Two hundred and twenty tales from medieval Japan—tales that welcome us into a fabulous faraway world populated by saints, scoundrels, ghosts, magical healers, and a vast assortment of deities and demons. Stories of miracles, visions of hell, jokes, fables, and legends, these tales reflect the Japanese civilization. They ably balance the lyrical and the dramatic, the ribald and the profound, offering a window into a long-vanished culture.

“Few readers who start the book will be able to resist going through to the end.”—The New York Times

“Enchanting. . . . The stories are variously witty, allegorical, mystical, gross, funny, and enigmatic . . . Tyler provides a helpful introduction, and his poised translations are something of a masterpiece.”—Publishers Weekly