Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories (Penguin Classics)

what a joy to have read this book, seriously.

I enjoyed all the stories but damn if the ones following the famous I-novel genre weren't exceptionally superb... what a genius this man was, his ability to write was out of this world and I have fallen in love with this sad, sad man who left this earth way too early. I enjoyed The life of a stupid man most of all, the mention of literature, his passion for books, his daily struggles... There's this one phrase from Spinning gears that I just had to go to the source and read in Japanese to get the true grasp of it because I just loved and resonated so much with me: 私の持つてゐるのは神経だけである. like, yes.

it's always the most depressive writers of all that i love the most and Akutagawa has just naturally attracted me to his writing thanks to that darkness he couldn't escape from, just like many others.
there is something so captivating about Japanese literature that the more I keep reading the more I need to continue reading it and I cannot get enough of it.

I am just so damn ecstatic I read this book that literally brought tears to my eyes more often than not just because of how good it was and how sad I felt and how many things just sounded right and resonated with me.. those are truly the best books in my opinion. seriously, Hell's screen, The life of a stupid man, Death register, Spinning gears, to only name a few, truly masterpieces.

I honestly cannot wait for the day I can reread this stories in Japanese, the idea of it makes me want to cry...

a true genius out of this world, Akutagawa.
all my love to him.

I'll leave this last part written on the year he took his own life which is just:
“I don't have the strength to keep writing this. To go on living with this feeling is painful beyond description. Isn't there someone kind enough to strangle me in my sleep?”