Reminiscences of Lafcadio Hearn

Setsuko Koizumi (1868-1932) was the daughter of a Japanese samurai family in Matsué. In 1891 she married a foreigner - Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) - and their union lasted 13 years and produced three children. Hearn adopted her family name becoming Koizumi Yakumo 小泉八雲and spent those years in Japan writing teaching and achieving international recognition. Setsuko's Reminiscences tells something of the couple's moves and travels but focuses mostly on the character habits and eccentricities of her husband. The book is a heartfelt and intimate portrait of a marriage that brought Lafcadio the home and family he had never before enjoyed. This book shares a charming story of domestic happiness told by his closest companion collaborator and interpreter of life death and afterlife in Meiji Japan.