Episode 14: Lafcadio Hearn: The Greek-Irish Writer Who Opened Japan to the World

Episode 14: Lafcadio Hearn: The Greek-Irish Writer Who Opened Japan to the World

From History House by Owen Delaney

June 29, 2025 · 49 min

About this episode

This episode explores the life of Lafcadio Hearn, a pivotal figure in introducing Japanese culture to the Western world.

Warning: This episode briefly discusses themes of a Sexual Nature including Prostitution. The story of Lafcadio Hearn/Koizumi Yakumo, a key figure in introducing Japanese Culture to the Western World. Episode Icon: Lafcadio Hearn, 1. From a photograph taken at Martinique, August 24, 1888, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Links to photos associated with the episode... Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/historyhouse1.bsky.social/post/3lsro7fjmas2e Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BurYzqv9H/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLf9nkxoh12/?igsh=MW55Nmxwa3c4N2ZqOQ== Recommended further reading... ​Cott, Jonathan, 'Wandering Ghost: The Odyssey of Lafcadio Hearn', (Tokyo and New York, 1992). ​Dawson, Carl, 'Lafcadio Hearn and the Vision of Japan', (Baltimore and London, 1992). ​Evangelista, Stefano, 'Lafcadio Hearn and Global Aestheticism', in 'Literary Cosmopolitanism in the English Fin de Siècle: Citizens of Nowhere', (Oxford, 2021). ​Hearn, Lafcadio, 'Japanese Ghost Stories,' (Republished by Penguin Classics, London, 2019). ​Hearn, Lafcadio, 'Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan', (Republished by Tuttle, North Clarendon, Tokyo, 2009). ​Hearn, Lafcadio…

Topics covered

  • Lafcadio Hearn
  • Japanese Culture
  • Western World
  • Prostitution

Keywords

  • Greek-Irish
  • writer
  • Japan
  • cultural exchange

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Wandering Ghost: The Odyssey of Lafcadio Hearn, Lafcadio Hearn and the Vision of Japan, Lafcadio Hearn and Global Aestheticism, Literary Cosmopolitanism in the English Fin de Siècle: Citizens of Nowhere, Japanese Ghost Stories, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Kokoro, An Intimate Portrait of Japanese Inner Life, Lafcadio Hearn's Japan, Stories and Essays, The Outsider, The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn, The Man Who Introduced Voodoo, Creole Cooking and Japanese Ghost Stories to the World, The Annotated Reminiscences of Lafcadio Hearn

Places: Japan, Martinique, Tokyo, New York, Baltimore, London, North Clarendon, San Francisco, Dublin

More episodes of History House

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History House podcast page.