'He had the Ten Kings of Hell and their minions over in one small corner, and everything else - the entire screen - was enveloped in a firestorm so terrible you thought the swirling flames were going to melt the mountain of Sabres and the Forest of Swords.' One of the towering figures of modern Japanese writing, Akutagawa's early career was distinguished by imaginative, beautifully crafted stories of medieval Japan, rich with period detail. These two stories include his great masterpiece of that period, "Hell Screen", and the parable of a thread-thin chance of escape for a sinner in the "Pool of Blood". This book includes "Hell Screen" and "The Spider Thread".
- ISBN10 014119572X
- ISBN13 9780141195728
- Publish Date 15 February 2011 (first published 31 December 1987)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Out of Print 17 December 2012
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
- Imprint Penguin Classics
- Format Paperback
- Pages 80
- Language English