2018 Reprint of 1952 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Writing at the beginning of the twentieth century, Akutagawa created disturbing stories out of Japan's cultural upheaval. Whether his fictions are set in centuries past or those close to the present, Akutagawa was a modernist, writing in polished, superbly nuanced prose subtly exposing human needs and flaws. These six stories represent Akutagawa’s finest and most representative writings. They are: Rashomon, In A Grove, Yam Gruel, The Martyr, Kesa and Morito and The Dragon.