{"product_id":"the-book-of-japanese-folktales-9784805320983","title":"The Book of Japanese Folktales","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA collection of Osamu Dazai's fractured fairy tales, magical myths and fantastical fables!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a trench during a Tokyo raid, a father distracts his son with four familiar stories, giving them his own unique twists. Written in the final months of World War II, these are Dazai's retellings of traditional Japanese fairy tales. We meet a mischievous tanuki raccoon dog, lumbering oni ogres and a Japanese Rip Van Winkle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCombining Dazai's legendary \u003ci\u003eBook of Fairy Tales\u003c\/i\u003e with a curated selection of lively fables and classic tales, master Dazai translator Ralph McCarthy highlights the multiple dimensions to Dazai's colorfully creative stories:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eUrashima Taro:\u003c\/b\u003e A talking tortoise dispenses advice to a fisherman, who opens a shell given to him by a princess and instantly becomes 300 years old\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTanuki and the Bunny:\u003c\/b\u003e Barely escaping being made into stew, Tanuki meets his match in Bunny who sets him on fire then tricks him into boarding a mud boat that is sinking\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTongue-Cut Sparrow:\u003c\/b\u003e A jealous wife greedily hauling her gold-filled baskets rips out a bird's tongue before dying in the snow\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Chrysanthemum Spirit:\u003c\/b\u003e An obsessive gardener in search of chrysanthemum seeds meets his match in supernatural siblings with a talent for horticulture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLanterns of Romance:\u003c\/b\u003e A wealthy, eccentric Japanese family take turns concocting their own elaborately horrifying versions of Rapunzel's fate, reflecting their own anxieties and neuroses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAnd six more,\u003c\/b\u003e including \"The Mermaid and the Samurai\" and \"Blue Bamboo\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with Dazai's signature wit and humor, these fables feature the fantastical and slyly subersive side of a beloved storyteller.","brand":"Osamu Dazai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49089986887931,"sku":"9784805320983","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_bd0e2626-403c-4ff8-ba85-1acbde128e01.jpg?v=1785372588","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-book-of-japanese-folktales-9784805320983","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}