Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927), from the age of 22 to his death at 35, wrote over 150 short stories. He is today widely considered the "father of the Japanese short story," and many of his works focus on historical and mythological tales presented through a modern psychological lens. His stories enjoy popularity even now, over a century after they were written, as some of the greatest works of Japanese literature: stories like Rashōmon, The Spider's Thread, In A Bamboo Grove, and Hell Screen.

Soul Mates! is proud to present a reading of Hell Screen, one of Akutagawa's early masterpieces. Based on a tale from the Uji Shūi Monogatari, Hell Screen follows a painter tasked to create a painting of the Buddhist hells, who finds himself unable to paint the perfect image until he sees the flames for himself. Please enjoy this new audiobook experience, with original backing music by Aster Gousie.

Music this episode by Aster Gousie:
https://youtube.com/@astermaliceflowers8363

Support the show:
https://ko-fi.com/ivyfoxart

Follow the show on Tumblr:
https://soul-mates-podcast.tumblr.com/

Follow the show on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Soul-Mates-Podcast

Art by Ryegarden:
https://www.instagram.com/ryegarden

Follow and support ash:
https://ko-fi.com/asherlark

Follow Ivy on Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/ivy-fox-is-typing.bsky.social