Taisho Magazines and Akutagawa’s Vision of Hell

05/31/22 • 39 min

The father of the Japanese short story shares his dark vision about what it means to be an artist.

We’re taking a look at Japan in the 1910s and 1920s, the era of the Taishō Democracy and the heyday of Japan’s literary magazines and serial novels.

Content warning: This episode addresses addiction, suicide, and sexual assault.
Notes and sources at the podcast episode website.

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The father of the Japanese short story shares his dark vision about what it means to be an artist.

We’re taking a look at Japan in the 1910s and 1920s, the era of the Taishō Democracy and the heyday of Japan’s literary magazines and serial novels.

Content warning: This episode addresses addiction, suicide, and sexual assault.
Notes and sources at the podcast episode website.

Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)

Previous Episode

The Women Writers of Meiji Japan

Last episode, we talked about the coming of the West and the way it impacted Japanese literature.

This time we’re talking about women as they take up a prominent position in the story of Japanese literature for the first time in almost 1000 years.
Special focus on Ichiyō Higuchi and her best-beloved story "Takekurabe".
Please note that this episode mistakenly attributes quotes from Higuchi’s diary to translator Melek Ortabasi. The translations are by Kyoko Omori.
Notes and sources are available on the podcast episode webpage.

Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)