In a Grove: Short Literature Series

By: Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Narrated by: Russell D Jones

Originally published in 1922 and translated by Takashi Kojima, this classic short story was the inspiration for Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon, about the murder of a samurai. Told from the perspective of multiple witnesses.

©2014 Lamp of Trismegistus (P)2015 Lamp of Trismegistus

A Rashoman Imitation...

that only partially succeeds. Might have been much better as a longer, more detailed work.

Doesn’t align w/ original transcript

The audio book is fine in and of itself. I’m in a world literature class and my reading retention is helped tenfold when I can listen and read at the same time - it helps keep me locked in. But the original translation isn’t used in this audio book. Our assigned scholarly text uses a more Old English style of literature and this one has a more simplistic and dumbed down style. But again, if I wasn’t reading it for my specific purpose, it would be absolutely fine!