Mandarins (33 page)

The original texts are taken from the
Akutagawa-zensh
Å«
[The Complete Works of Akutagawa Ry
Å«
nosuke], Volumes 1–4, published by Chikumashob
ō
, T
ō
ky
ō
, 1964 [1970]. Japanese names are given in East Asian order, surname preceding personal name. Chinese names and words are treated according to context. The name of the Chinese restaurant in “An Evening Conversation” is rendered in Sino-Japanese: T
ō
t
ō
tei, not T
á
ot
á
o-d
í
ng; on the other hand, the word that the narrator in “Cogwheels” would presumably have pronounced as Sino-Japanese
kirin
is represented in
q
í
l
í
n
.

A brief note about the Romanization of Japanese and Chinese names may be in order. The macron over vowels (e.g.
ō
vs. o) indicates length for
Japanese words. For Chinese words, the four tones are marked, e.g.
ō
,
ó
,
ǒ
, and
ò
. For Japanese words, n before m, p, and b is pronounced m.

Resisting a propensity widespread among academics, I have kept the notes to a minimum. Particularly for “The Life of a Fool” and “Cogwheels,” where literary references and autobiographical allusions abound, the temptation to “explain” has been strong—and thus partially placated with “Additional Terminology” at the end. Curious readers may avail themselves of that appendix, though it is not—and is not intended to be—complete. Not even Akutagawa's own Japanese contemporaries would have understood all of his fragmentary and troubled musings at the end of his life, and to relentlessly render factual—historical or biographical—what should be left as literary would surely spoil the story.

I wish to express boundless gratitude to Jill Schoolman for her wisdom and patience over several years, as I struggled to complete this work, and to Masako Nakamura, from whose keen eye, extraordinary linguistic sense, cross-cultural learning, and unending generosity I have undeservedly benefited for more than twenty years. Finally, to my family and above all to my wife, Keiko:
Arigat
ō
gozaimasu
.