The Book of the Dead
Department
World Languages and Literatures
Document Type
Book
Files
Description
First published in 1939 and extensively revised in 1943, The Book of the Dead, loosely inspired by the tale of Isis and Osiris from ancient Egypt, is a sweeping historical romance that tells a gothic tale of love between a noblewoman and a ghost in eighth-century Japan. Its author, Orikuchi Shinobu, was a well-received novelist, distinguished poet, and an esteemed scholar. He is often considered one of the fathers of Japanese folklore studies, and The Book of the Dead is without a doubt the most important novel of Orikuchi’s career—and it is a book like no other.
Here, for the first time, is the complete English translation of Orikuchi’s masterwork, whose vast influence is evidenced by multiple critical studies dedicated to it and by its many adaptations, which include an animated film and a popular manga. This translation features an introduction by award-winning translator Jeffrey Angles discussing the historical background of the work as well as its major themes: the ancient origins of the Japanese nation, the development of religion in a modernizing society, and the devotion necessary to create a masterpiece. Also included are three chapters from The Mandala of Light by Japanese intellectual historian Ando Reiji, who places the novel and Orikuchi’s thought in the broader intellectual context of early twentieth-century Japan.
The Book of the Dead focuses on the power of faith and religious devotion, and can be read as a parable illustrating the suffering an artist must experience to create great art. Readers will soon discover that a great deal lies hidden beneath the surface of the story; the entire text is a modernist mystery waiting to be decoded.
Call number in WMU's library
PL835.R5 H513 2016
ISBN
978-0816688104
Publication Date
1-16-2017
Publisher
University of Minnesota Press
City
Minneapolis, MN
Disciplines
Creative Writing | East Asian Languages and Societies | Translation Studies
Citation for published book
Origuchi, Shinobu, Ando Reiji, and Jeffrey Angles. The Book of the Dead. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2016. Print.
Recommended Citation
Angles, Jeffrey, "The Book of the Dead" (2017). All Books and Monographs by WMU Authors. 706.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/books/706