trans. Ryan Choi

Softcover, 178pp

Prototype, April 2026

An essential selection of fiction, poetry, and philosophical prose by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa that illuminates the restless brilliance of one of modern literature’s most influential voices. With a foreword by Polly Barton.

Hell of Solitude presents a bold and varied selection of writings by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, one of the central figures of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Bringing together fiction, poetry, and philosophical prose—much of it appearing in English for the first time—this collection showcases the range and intensity of Akutagawa’s imagination.

Moving from the whimsical and fantastical to the grave and introspective, the pieces reveal a writer of extraordinary clarity and psychological depth. Interwoven throughout are poems from a prolific body of verse, examples of which are sparse in English, alongside ‘Art and Other Things’, a fragmentary essay in which Akutagawa expounds his aesthetic views while drawing on examples from world literature and art.

Translated with sensitivity and precision by Ryan Choi, Hell of Solitude offers a vital reintroduction to a writer whose lucidity, irony, and existential unease continue to resonate across cultures and generations.

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892–1927), born in Tokyo, Japan, was the author of more than 350 works of fiction and non-fiction, including Rashōmon, The Spider’s Thread, Hell Screen, Kappa, and In a Grove. Japan’s premier literary award for emerging writers, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

Ryan Choi’s books include In Dreams: The Very Short Stories of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Three Demons: A Study on Sanki Saitō’s Haiku. He is an editor at AGNI. His writings and translations have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The New Criterion, Poetry, The Times Literary Supplement, and elsewhere. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was born and raised.