The Wine Worm and Other Writings

A Chinese drinker is told that a strange creature lives inside him. A monk meets a wayside god whose rebuke overturns his confidence. A puppeteer’s troubled love becomes a little drama of pride and estrangement.

In these nine complete writings, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke moves from Buddhist and Korean legends to the performance of Noh and the mingling of Japanese, Chinese, and European lives in Nagasaki. Two stories set in the age of Meiji enlightenment expose a darker struggle beneath the promise of progress: one through a doctor’s confession of murder, the other through a young idealist’s belief in pure love.

First published between 1916 and 1924, these stories, dramatic sketches, and reflections reveal a major Japanese writer’s sharp attention to the ways belief collides with desire. Concise notes explain historical settings, unfamiliar names, and unusual source details while preserving the originals’ irony and uncertainty. AI-assisted translation.