"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."
The Tales of Old Miura (I racconti del vecchio Miura), published in Italy by Lindau, brings together short stories by Kidō Okamoto (1872–1939), a Japanese playwright and novelist best remembered for his contribution to kabuki theater and historical fiction. Born in Tokyo during the Meiji era,...
Automation, Tradition, and the Architecture of a Crowded Future When Isaac Asimov published The Caves of Steel in 1954, he achieved something remarkable: he fused the detective novel with hard science fiction, using the tropes of noir to explore the sociological and technological anxieties of the...
Once upon a time two merchants lived in a certain town just on the verge of a stream. One of them was a Russian, the other a Tartar; both were rich. But the Russian got so utterly ruined by some business or other that he...
Some books demand to be read not only because they pioneered something new, but because, decades later, they remain unmatched in their brilliance. Stanisław Lem’s Solaris is one of those rare works that manages to be both the first of its kind and still the...
In a certain kingdom there lived an old couple in great poverty. Sooner or later the old woman died. It was in winter, in severe and frosty weather. The old man went round to his friends and neighbors, begging them to help him to dig...
There was once an old woman who was a terrible witch, and she had a daughter and a granddaughter. The time came for the old crone to die, so she summoned her daughter and gave her these instructions: “Mind, daughter! when I’m dead, don’t you wash...
In a certain village there lived a husband and wife—lived happily, lovingly, peaceably. All their neighbors envied them; the sight of them gave pleasure to honest folks. Well, the mistress bore a son, but directly after it was born she died. The poor moujik moaned...
Kyoka Izumi, born Kyotaro Izumi on November 4, 1873, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, was a prominent Japanese novelist, writer, and kabuki playwright active during the prewar period. He is best known for his distinctive style that contrasted with the dominant naturalist literature of his era: his...
In a certain country there lived an old couple who had a daughter called Marusia (Mary). In their village it was customary to celebrate the feast of St. Andrew the First-Called (November 30). The girls used to assemble in some cottage, bake pampushki, and enjoy...
Following next Friday, I'll be publishing some fairytales collected by W.R. Ralston, correspondent of the Imperial Geographical Society for the British Museum. W. R. S. Ralston, M.A.,Of the British Museum,Corresponding Member of the Imperial Geographical SocietyOf Russia, Author of “The Songs of the RussianPeople,” “Krilof and...
