Hell of Solitude: Selected Writings of Ryunosuke Akutagawa

'Hell of Solitude' presents a bold and varied selection of writings by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, one of the central figures of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Bringing together fiction, poetry, and philosophical prose - much of it appearing in English for the first time - this collection showcases the range and intensity of Akutagawa's imagination.

Translated with sensitivity by Ryan Choi, 'Hell of Solitude' offers a vital reintroduction to a universally resonant and lucid writer. Moving from the whimsical and fantastical to the grave and introspective, the pieces reveal a writer of extraordinary clarity and psychological depth. 

Interwoven throughout are poems from a prolific body of verse, examples of which are sparse in English, alongside ‘Art and Other Things', a fragmentary essay in which Akutagawa expounds his aesthetic views while drawing on examples from world literature and art.