内容紹介

Step into the extraordinary life of the man who made an impact as an observer wherever he lived, and went on to become the leading western interpreter of Japan and Japanese culture--a position he still occupies today.Discover the fascinating journey of Hearn's life and the series of events--from peaks to pitfalls--that shaped his remarkable story, including:・His troubled childhood and emigration to America with no job or money・His career as a popular newspaper writer and essayist in Cincinnati and New Orleans・His life in Japan where he became a Buddhist, married the daughter of a Samurai and took the Japanese name Yakumo Koizumi・Hearn's worldwide fame as a writer, especially for his works on ghosts, demons, monsters and the supernatural world of Japanese folkloreラフカディオ・ハーンの生涯と業績ブードゥー教やクレオール料理、そして不朽の名作『怪談』などで日本の幽霊を世界に広めたハーンの波乱に満ちた人生の軌跡を辿る伝記。苦難に見舞われたアイルランドでの幼少期、仕事もお金もないアメリカでの生活、シンシナティやニューオーリンズでの人気新聞記者・執筆家としての活躍、そして日本人との結婚、日本での執筆活動など、人生の明暗を分ける出来事から機知縦横な活躍ぶりまで、本書はハーンの興味深いエピソードを詳しく綴っています。