Horror Oriental

by Gan Bao, Pu Songling, Lafcadio Hearn

“Horror Oriental”, um volume ricamente ilustrado de narrativas tradicionais da China, Japão e Coréia, escritas, dentre outros, por Gan Bao (285 – 366), Pu Songling (1640 – 1715), Koizumi Yakumo (1850 – 1904) e Im Bang (1640 – 1722). As traduções — quase todas inéditas em língua portuguesa — são de autoria de Lua Bueno Cyríaco e Paulo Soriano.

No livro, leitor e leitora adentrarão um mundo fantástico e assustador do Extremo Oriente, povoado por fantasmas que sangram, cadáveres deambulantes que perseguem implacavelmente os vivos, demônios escondidos sob peles humanas removíveis, animais fantásticos, monstros hediondos que atacam os viajantes nas estradas, monges que lutam ingloriosamente contra o maligno, aparições e vinganças de além-túmulo… Este é o universo sobrenatural e imensamente macabro que permeia a literatura fantástica oriental.

100 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Gan Bao (or Kan Pao) (Chinese: 干寶) (fl. 315, died 336) was a Chinese historian and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin. He was a native of southern Henan. After diligent study of the classics during his childhood and youth, Gan Bao was appointed head of Office of History at the court. Apparently the position was granted to him in recognition of his skills which he demonstrated in his Chin-chi, presumably a written account of earlier court activities.

Gan Bao subsequently occupied other prominent positions at the court, but today he is best remembered for the book In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record (Sou-shen Chi), which he probably compiled. An extremely important early example of the Zhiguai genre, the book comprises several hundred short stories and witness reports about spirits and supernatural events. A contemporary biography mentions that Gan Bao became interested in these matters after a member of his family survived more than 10 years sealed inside a tomb with the help of a ghost which brought her food.