Who Was Akutagawa Ryunosuke?

Akutagawa Ryunosuke was a writer in the Taisho period of Japan. His work was first noticed by Natsume Soseki, whilst he was still a student, and he used this encouragement to lead himself on a successful career path as a writer. He self published his first story, and then had a succession of stories published under the guidance of Soseki.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke is considered to be a master of short stories. He rewrote classical ideas from a modern viewpoint, highlighting the folly of vanity and egoism. He promoted the importance and quality of art throughout his works, whilst exploring the darker side of human nature in great detail.

His works were always innovative, and he delighted in debates with other authors of the time, attacking their approach and penchant to follow the norm. His later works became darker and more intense as he suffered from mental health problems, littered with suicide attempts that culminated in an successful attempt aged 35.

Although Akutagawa Ryunosuke did not write a single novel, he wrote an astounding number of short stories in his brief lifetime. He did not fully receive the recognition that he deserved until after his death, when the Akutagawa prize was established in 1935 in his memory. Akira Kurosawa also completed cinematic versions of his stories.