Fallen Words

<em>Fallen words</em> is the literal English translation of the Japanese term <strong><em>rakugo</em></strong> (落語). </p> </p>Before there was film television sitcoms and standup comedy there was rakugo-entertainment created specifically for common people. What is rakugo? Noriko Watanabe an assistant professor at Baruch College once described rakugo as a sitcom with one person playing all the parts. </p> </p>Rakugo is the popular 400-year-old art of Japanese storytelling. It consists of a repertoire of more than 500 classical stories that have been passed down from master to disciple over the centuries. In addition to the classical rakugo stories there is a substantial collection of new and original rakugo stories being written and performed by contemporary rakugoka (storytellers) on a continuing basis.</p> </p>As the author/ editor of three rakugo books introducing English-speaking audiences to Japan's delightful storytelling tradition I thought it would be fun to compile and release a collection of my own original English rakugo stories. I hope these stories will enlighten and entertain you.</p> </p><br></p><p><br></p>