Edogawa Rampo

'The new crime and espionage series from Penguin Classics makes for a mouth-watering prospect' Daily Telegraph A mystery writer turns detective to protect the woman he loves. But is he hunter or hunted?The chance meeting between a crime novelist and a married woman blossoms into friendship. When she confides to him that she has been receiving threatening and sadistic letters from an ex-lover, who says he is watching her in the shadows, he knows he must help her. But the trail unexpectedly leads to another writer, Oe Shundei, the mysterious and secretive author of works of grotesque violence. Suddenly nothing is as it seems, and nobody is safe.

Collected in this chilling volume are some of the famous Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo's best stories—bizarre and blood-curdling expeditions into the fantastic, the perverse, and the strange, in a marvelous homage to Rampo's literary 'mentor', Edgar Allan Poe.

Akechi Kogoro, detective extraordinaire. In Japan, this is a name that fires the hearts and imaginations of readers young at heart. Cool and sophisticated, Akechi moves effortlessly through the world of Japan in the golden era between the wars, defeating masterminds and saving the day. He has been the hero of Japanese children for generations, and starred in a host of movies. The stories in this volume predate all of that; his secret origin, if you will. Readers familiar with the exploits of the great detective Akechi Kogoro might have some difficulty recognizing the impeccably dressed and universally respected man of action in the amateur detective, an eccentric twenty-something of little means with disheveled hair and a shabby kimono. The Akechi who appears in this volume is a hobbyist in crime whose identity is not yet fixed either in the eyes of the reading public or in the mind of his creator. Supporting characters such as Akechi's wife and his young assistant have not yet been introduced, and the first confrontation between the great detective and the Fiend with Twenty Faces is still a decade away. Rampo initially conceived of Akechi Kogoro only as a protagonist for 'The Case of the Murder on D___ Hill,' never intending to make further use of the character, but the positive reactions of Rampo's friends and colleagues prompted him to make Akechi a recurring protagonist in his detective fiction. The first five Akechi mysteries, 'The Case of the Murder on D___ Hill,' 'The Psychological Test,' 'The Black Hand Gang,' 'The Ghost,' and 'The Stalker in the Attic,' were all published in the first half of 1925 as part of Rampo's first serial for Shin-Seinen magazine. And now they are available in English as well, to delight a new audience! Includes: The Case of the Murder on D Hill 「D坂の殺人事件」 The Black Hand Gang 「黒手組」 The Ghost 「幽霊」 The Dwarf 「一寸法師」

This collection of mystery and horror stories is regarded as Japan's answer to Edgar Allan Poe.Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination, the first volume of its kind translated into English, is written with the quick tempo of the West but rich with the fantasy of the East. These nine bloodcurdling, chilling tales present a genre of literature largely unknown to readers outside Japan, including the strange story of a quadruple amputee and his perverse wife; the record of a man who creates a mysterious chamber of mirrors and discovers hidden pleasures within; the morbid confession of a maniac who envisions a career of foolproof "psychological" murders; and the bizarre tale of a chair-maker who buries himself inside an armchair and enjoys the sordid "loves" of the women who sit on his handiwork.Lucid and packed with suspense, Edogawa Rampo's stories found in Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination have enthralled Japanese readers for over half a century.Mystery stories include: The Human Chair The Caterpillar Two Crippled Men The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture

A short story about a chair that holds a dark secret.

ยอดนักสืบอาเคจิ โคโกะโร ซีรีส์ชื่อดังจากปลายปากกาของ เอโดะงาวะ รัมโป บิดาแห่งนวนิยายสืบสวนสยองขวัญของญี่ปุ่น ที่มาพร้อมกับการสืบสวนคดีอันน่าระทึก ความรู้สึกขนพองสยองเกล้า และรสชาติของความอีโรติกที่ปลายลิ้น เรื่องราวคดีฆาตกรรมกับการไขปริศนาของยอดนักสืบอาเคจิ โคโกะโร ซึ่งอวลด้วยกลิ่นของนวนิยายแปลครบรส มีทั้งคฤหาสน์แบบปราสาทยุคกลาง หอคอยร้าง ความลับดำมืด หนุ่มรูปงามผู้บอบบาง สาวสะคราญปานดอกโบตั๋น คดีฆาตกรรมซ่อนเงื่อน และอสุรกายโพกผ้าดำผู้เลือดเย็นแถมฉลาดเป็นกรด จนแม้แต่อาเคจิยังเกือบสิ้นลาย

ยอดนักสืบอาเคจิ โคโกะโร ซีรีส์ชื่อดังจากปลายปากกาของ เอโดะงาวะ รัมโป บิดาแห่งนวนิยายสืบสวนสยองขวัญของญี่ปุ่น ที่มาพร้อมกับการสืบสวนคดีอันน่าระทึก ความรู้สึกขนพองสยองเกล้า และรสชาติของความอีโรติกที่ปลายลิ้น ฆาตกรรมบนเนิน D เรื่องสั้นเปิดตัว อาเคจิ โคโกะโร จุดเริ่มต้นของยอดนักสืบผู้เปี่ยมด้วยความประหลาดในนิสัยส่วนตัว แต่มีไหวพริบปฏิภาณในการวิเคราะห์คดีอันแหลมคม จนไขปริศนาคดีฆาตกรรมที่ตัวเขาเองก็ตกเป็นผู้ต้องสงสัย ภายในเล่มยังรวบรวมอีกสองคดี คือ วิญญาณหลอน และ นักเดินเล่นใต้หลังคา ผลงานอันลือลั่น จนกลายเป็นงานเขียนชิ้นโบแดงของ เอโดะงาวะ รัมโป เล่าถึงปมและวิธีฆาตกรรมในห้องปิดตายอันพิสดารพันลึกที่ท้าทายให้อาเคจิขบคิด

Primer volumen de esta temática traducido al español con nueve historias lúcidas y repletas de suspense, relatos que han cautivado a los lectores japoneses durante medio siglo. Una impagable antología seleccionada por el propio autor en la que el lector hallará un rico mosaico de temas y motivos de lo fantástico y lo terrorífico. Relatos japoneses de misterio e imaginación ha convertido a Edogawa Rampo, que ha tomado su nombre artístico de la pronunciación japonesa de Edgar Allan Poe, en uno de los nombres más ilustres de la escritura fantástica moderna que han demostrado su capacidad para crear mundos en los que predominan lo misterioso y lo extraordinario, su extremada originalidad y su extraordinaria capacidad de inventiva.

Verdadero icono de la novela policíaca japonesa, la celebridad de Edogawa Rampo se extendió también fuera de su país. Publicado el año 1934, este libro no sólo es una de sus obras más emblemáticas, sino también un claro ejemplo de la figura del investigador entendido como gran maestro de la deducción y de la lógica, en la línea del Auguste Dupin de Poe y el Sherlock Holmes de Conan Doyle. Pero el talento de Rampo fue aún más allá y, bajo la influencia del pulp estadounidense, combinó como nadie la tradición del género con una acción trepidante, por momentos extrema, y siempre aderezada con un sentido del humor que sedujo a miles de lectores y convirtió este black en un fenómeno auténticamente popular. La historia nos sumerge en la lucha sin cuartel entre dos enemigos acérrimos, cuya admiración y fascinación mutuas son un acicate para mantener una rivalidad innegociable. Así pues, Kogorō Akechi —el inmortal personaje de Rampo, un detective capaz de solucionar cualquier caso con su brillante interpretación de la escena del crimen y un don para anticiparse al siguiente paso de sus rivales— ha de enfrentarse a la pérfida y sensual madame Midorikawa, quintaesencia de la femme fatale, apodada «Lagarto Negro» por el espectacular tatuaje que luce en un brazo. Midorikawa padece la necesidad enfermiza de coleccionar los objetos más bellos del planeta, y cuando se propone conseguir la joya más preciada de Japón, la fuerza que la empuja no es tanto el afán de satisfacer su deseo como la oportunidad de retar a Akechi y demostrarle que su inteligencia es superior a la de él. El duelo está servido.

La strana storia dell’Isola Panorama è un romanzo mystery che ben esemplifica le caratteristiche che hanno reso Edogawa Ranpo un luminare di questo genere letterario. Il protagonista, Hitomi Hirosuke, è un eccentrico trentenne squattrinato con velleità artistiche che vive di espedienti e coltiva la bizzarra utopia di creare un paradiso terrestre. Un giorno gli si presenta inaspettatamente l’occasione di mettere in atto il proprio piano poiché viene a sapere che un suo compagno dei tempi dell’università, un ricco possidente a cui per uno strano scherzo del destino assomiglia in maniera impressionante, è venuto recentemente a mancare in seguito a una crisi epilettica. Hirosuke gli si sostituirà convincendo tutti di essere stato vittima di una sepoltura prematura – errore frequente nel caso di persone affette da epilessia –, e approfitterà del suo nuovo status sociale ed economico per realizzare la sua inquietante fantasia al largo di un’isola disabitata. Un intreccio ben congegnato che si dipana tra macabri dissotterramenti e occultamenti di cadaveri, omicidi efferati e suicidi simulati, folli utopie e crisi di onnipotenza conduce il lettore verso un finale pirotecnico in cui il protagonista dovrà affrontare la figura di un detective che sembra essere pronto a smascherarlo.

"La poltrona umana" è il titolo di uno dei sei celeberrimi racconti scritti nel 1925 da Edogawa Ranpo, padre del noir giapponese, e presenti in questo volume. Gli altri cinque racconti sono gli altrettanto noti: "Il delitto della salita D.", "Il test psicologico", "La banda della mano nera", "Occhi dalla soffitta" e "Il bacio", in cui l'autore, oltre a far esordire il giovane detective Akechi Kogoro, introduce le tematiche classiche della sua scrittura tra cui quella del doppio, l'ossessione per il crimine e le perversioni sessuali, il voyeurismo, nonché l'attrazione verso gli specchi in uno stile squisitamente erotico-grottesco. Tra i protagonisti dei suddetti racconti, Ranpo presenta Goda Saburo, un giovane crossdresser che si rinchiude nel proprio armadio per poi aggirarsi silenzioso nell'oscurità dei sottotetti con l'intento di spiare gli ospiti della pensione dove alloggia; Fukiya Seichiro, uno sfaccendato studente che è fatalmente attratto dai propri impulsi omicidi; la misteriosa Ohana che provoca la gelosia del marito perché coinvolta in un ambiguo rapporto con il di lui datore di lavoro; e infine il misterioso artigiano di poltrone con la sua ossessione per i corpi delle sue ignare vittime. "La poltrona umana" e gli altri racconti di questa raccolta, classici imperdibili della letteratura giapponese mistery, sono il manifesto di una società che cambiava a un ritmo sempre più incalzante e di un'intera generazione di giovani risucchiata giocoforza nel mito della "modernità" nipponica degli anni venti.

Il giovane Omuta Toshikiyo è l’uomo più ricco della città giapponese di S. È sposato con una donna bellissima che è riuscita a fargli superare la sua naturale misoginia e ha un caro amico, bello e spiantato. Un giorno Toshikiyo cade da una rupe e muore. Riaprirà gli occhi in una bara, trasformato in un demone tornato dall’Inferno e, una volta evaso dalla tomba di famiglia, scoprirà che la sua precedente vita non era affatto idilliaca come sembrava ma nascondeva molti inganni. Crollata ogni certezza, decide di dare inizio alla sua vendetta, ispirandosi al nume tutelare di Edmond Dantès, Conte di Montecristo, e guidato da un forte istinto di giustiziere. Edogawa Ranpo, autore di culto anche in Occidente, ha dato vita a un’opera lucida e spietata come un revenge movie del cinema orientale e insieme debitrice al gotico e al noir di Marie Corelli e Edgar Allan Poe, creando un ibrido letterario ricco di fascino, profondamente perturbante.

Two Golden Age classics from Japan's grand master of mystery. Edogawa Rampo (pseudonym of Hirai Taro, 1894-1965) is the acknowledged grand master of Japan's golden age of crime and mystery fiction. In the early part of his career, he created the Japanese gothic mystery, developing the work of Edgar Allan Poe and related nineteenth century writers in a distinctly Japanese form. This part of his career coincided with a great flowering in Japanese literature and culture, a relatively free and uninhibited popular press being a defining feature of the times. In this context, Rampo's dark vision and extravagant grotesquery found an avid readership, and had a profound influence on other writers. The Black Lizard, a master criminal as deadly as she is beautiful, wagers all in an epic battle with a master detective. A mystery writer vows to protect the woman he secretly loves from the Beast in the Shadows, but disaster strikes when he turns detective himself.