A lasting influence upon Japanese literature, Ry?nosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is best known for the short story "In the Grove," inspiration for Akira Kurosawa's famous film Rashomon. Writing 12 interconnected stories out of his own obsession with Akutagawa, David Peace delves into his inner world—birth to a mother who was mentally ill; his own battles with mental illness; his complicated reaction to the beginnings of modernization and Westernization of Japan; and his short, prolific writing career—and creates a deeply moving fictional portrait of a brilliant and complex figure.

"By combining history, oral tradition, surrealism, and a Poe-like grittiness, the always innovative Peace reimagines the life of a gifted writer who died young by his own hand."—Booklist