A Lafcadio Hearn Companion

Lafcadio Hearn was a prolific 19th-century writer with diverse cultural experiences. He was born in Greece: educated in Ireland, France, and England; and thereafter resided in the United States, the French West Indies, and Japan. He is best know for his nonfiction, primarily essays and newspaper columns, though he also wrote numerous stories which drew upon the lore of different cultures. But he will always be remembered as the American writer who first wrote extensively about Japan and made oriental culture accessible to British and American readers. This reference is a comprehensive guide to his life and writings. Included in the volume are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for individual works by Hearn and collections of his writings, for members of his family, and for the colleagues and acquaintances who figured prominently in his life. The entries summarize his views, reveal his keen perception, and demonstrate the breadth of his musings. Entries often cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a bibliography. While the book is first and foremost a guide to Hearn, it additionally shows how Japanese society was first presented to the West.