Hearn, Lafcadio. (1850 - 1904).
L i f e
- born in Greece, son of a British father and a Greek Mother
- studied to become a clergyman x but: gave up and left for America
- interest in literature, became a librarian, and a journalist
- not interested in political journalism x but: in history and adventure
- spent 2 years in the Caribbean as a journalist
- travelled to Japan as a journalist, settled here, married a Japanese woman, and taught English literature at the Tokyo University
W o r k
- wrote journalistic articles, reviews, travel writings, short stories, and translations from Spanish and French
Stray Leaves from Strange Literatures (1884)
Some Chinese Ghosts (1887):
- based on strange Chines legends and tales
Chita (1889):
- a novel about a girl to survive the flood-tide on an island off the Lousiana coast
C a r i b b e a n I n s p i r a t i o n :
Two Years in the French West Indies (1890):
- a travel writing
Youma (1890):
- a novel about a slave uprising
J a p a n e s e I n s p i r a t i o n :
Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan (1894):
- an attempt to capture the Japanese culture and customs
Kwaidan (1904)
Quote
"And whatever doubts or vexations one has in Japan, it is only necessary to ask oneself: 'Well, who are the best people to live with'"?
From The Life and Times of Lafcadio Hearn (1906).
Basics
(Picture: Wikimedia Commons).
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Author
(Patrick) Lafcadio Hearn. (1850 - 1904). Koizumi Yakumo after accepting Japanese citizenship. -
Work
Novelist. Journalist. Translator. Author of books about Japan. -
Genres
Folklore. Travel writing.
Literature
Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton, 1995.
Bercovitch, Sacvan, ed. The Cambridge History of American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Cunliffe, Marcus. The Literature of the United States. London: Penguin, 1991.
Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Lexington: D. C. Heath, 1994.
McQuade, Donald, gen.ed. The Harper American Literature. New York: Harper & Collins, 1996.
Ruland, Richard, Malcolm Bradbury. Od puritanismu k postmodernismu. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1997.
Vančura, Zdeněk, ed. Slovník spisovatelů: Spojené státy americké. Praha: Odeon, 1979.