The Romance of the Milky Way and Other Studies & Stories

Lafcadio Hearn was a writer particularly gifted at translating a foreign aesthetic for a Western audience. Hearns writing is always lyrical and passionate and in this collection of essays and tales-not all of which are on subjects Japanese unlike his most popular works-we see also his most refined workmanship and most intellectual discourse. Whether an extrapolation on Goblin Poetry a discussion of the existential question a passionate retelling of a mythic tale or an illustration of Japans social philosophy the pieces herein form a portrait of a man who is taking us somewhere fantastic but making us feel at home all the way. Bohemian and writer PATRICK LAFCADIO HEARN (1850-1904) was born in Greece raised in Ireland and worked as newspaper reporter in the United States before decamping to Japan. He also wrote In Ghostly Japan (1899) and Kwaidon (1904).