Until recently, Lafcadio Hearn was known primarily for his books on Japan and Japanese culture, such as

Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan

(1894),

Gleanings in Buddha-Fields

(1897), and

In Ghostly Japan

(1899). In the past couple of decades, his work about Louisiana—

Chita

(1889)—and the Caribbean—

Youma

(1890) and

Two Years in the French West Indies

(1890)—have received considerable attention. If Hearn was once characterized as exclusively a travel writer, attention has turned to his multi-genre and mixed-media work as an artist, novelist, journalist, cultural critic, and travel writer.

Patrick Lafcadio Tessima Carlos Hearn was born June 27, 1850 on an island off the west coast of Greece called Leucadia (at times called Lefkos, Lefkada, or Lafcadio, from which he gained his name). His

2008 words

Citation: Hardwig, Bill. "Lafcadio Hearn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 July 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2055, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2055 Lafcadio Hearn 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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