The Life of a Stupid man - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892–1927) is celebrated as the “father of the Japanese short story” and remains one of modern Japan’s most influential literary figures14. Writing during the Taishō period, Akutagawa’s stories are renowned for their stylistic virtuosity, psychological depth, and innovative blending of Western and Japanese literary traditions124. His early life was marked by familial instability—his mother’s mental illness led to his adoption by his maternal uncle, and these personal hardships deeply influenced the recurring themes of alienation, shame, and the complexity of truth in his work125.
Akutagawa’s literary career began with retellings of Japanese legends and historical anecdotes, as seen in his early masterpieces “Rashōmon” and “The Nose,” which deftly combine humor with keen insight into human nature345. As his career progressed, his stories shifted toward more modern and introspective subjects, culminating in works like “In a Grove,” which famously explores the elusive nature of truth through multiple conflicting testimonies234. Later in life, as he struggled with ill health and psychological turmoil, his writing became increasingly autobiographical and experimental, reflecting his inner struggles23.
Akutagawa wrote over 150 short stories, eschewing the novel in favor of concise, tightly structured narratives that often enlarge trivial events into profound moral reflections4. His legacy is enshrined in the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, awarded annually to emerging Japanese writers4. Despite his tragic suicide at the age of 35, Akutagawa’s works continue to captivate readers with their exploration of the human condition and their enduring literary artistry.
I recently got a hold of the penguin little black classics1 not the whole box set but two pieces in particular the other one you will hear of in the future but this one is “The life of a Stupid Man by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa”, I know have heard that Akutagawa is the Anton Chekhov of short stories in japan sometimes also compared with Nikolai Gogol since they do have the same story titled “The Nose” (from which Akutagawa drew his inspiration for his short story).
In this penguin bite size classics comes 3 short stories bundled together “In a Bamboo Groove”, “Death Register”, “The life of a stupid man” while all this selected from the book “Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories” translated by Jay Rubin and published in 2006.
In a Bamboo Groove being one of the popular short stories from Akutagawa deals with the idea of truth, and if there even is on particular truth, a man is found dead and we are all trying to figure out who did it from the accounts(testimonies of different people), it was so short but yet so immersive, no wonder there are a lot of it or that drew inspiration from it.
List of movies:
| Film Title | Year | Country | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashomon | 1950 | Japan | Akira Kurosawa | The most famous adaptation; melds “In a Bamboo Grove” (main plot) with “Rashomon” (title and framing device)2345. |
| The Outrage | 1964 | USA | Martin Ritt | Western remake set in the American West2. |
| Iron Maze | 1987 | USA | Hiroaki Yoshida | Modern American adaptation2. |
| In a Grove | 1996 | Japan | Hisayasu Satō | Direct adaptation2. |
| Misty | 1997 | Japan | Kenki Saegusa | Japanese adaptation2. |
| The Outrage | 2011 | Thailand | M.L. Pundhevanop Dhewakul | Thai adaptation2. |
| The Bottomless Bag | 2017 | Russia | Rustam Khamdamov | Russian adaptation with a unique setting24. |
Death Register & The life of a stupid man are more of this autobiographical vignettes (with some degrees of fictionalization) which resembles the life of the man himself Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, without not knowing much of his personal life details one can assume that his are from the autobiographical ones. Over this two short tales he goes over how his elder sister passed away when he was young and his mother too and the emotional turmoil that comes along with it, on next story the life of a stupid man we get a glimpse of his life told through bites sized poetic lines titled with what is significant of those stories and the life events like (1. The Era, 14. Marriage, 20. Shackles, 51. Defeat), his artistic way of writing is evident in all of the stories as well as exploring different themes and ideas. No wonder he is one of the greats in japans literary cannon2.
I would say it’s worth the read and recommend it.
Some things that caught my eye
“Yet I also believed that as long as i was unable to cry my mother would not die” (Death Register)
“life is not worth a single line of Baudelaire” (The life of a stupid man)
“It’s too late now. But when the time comes.” (The life of a stupid man)
“Why did this one have to be born - to come into the world like all the others, this world is so full of suffering? Why did this one have to bear the destiny of having a father like me ? (The life of a stupid man)
“Why do you attack the present social system ? Because i see the evils that capitalism has engendered. evils ? i thought you recognized no difference between good and evil. How do you make a living then?”
Rashomon 1950 by Akira Kurosawa