Japanese Tales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

Praise for Japanese Tales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

“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
 
“Royall Tyler’s translations are nothing short of superb—crisp, restrained, ably balancing the ribald and the profound. The results make available masterpieces from five centuries of Japanese literature. This book is a stellar addition to Pantheon’s “outstanding folklore series.””
—Booklist
 
“Fresh, imaginative, and uniquely organized . . . told in a style clear, homey, and unpretentious, [they] yield great pleasure.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Translated with exceptional skill, this is a perfect example of scholarship concealing scholarship. Tyler has made these tales read gracefully and effortlessly. He writes in a lively and colloquial style that effectively captures the spirit of the originals without being jarringly modern. This is an important book.”
—Donald Keene, Shincho Professor of Japanese, Columbia University