The work of the outstanding Japanese writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke (01.03.1892 ? 24.07.1927) ? one of the most striking and unusual phenomena in world literature of the 20th century. The main theme of his works, written with subtle taste and humor,? the infinite universe of spirit and mystery of human psychology. Akutagawa drew materials for his short stories from historical chronicles, medieval jokes and collections of ancient legends. Akutagawa believed that only through the exceptional and unexpected can genuine movements of the soul be revealed. The bizarre interweaving of fiction and reality, the depth of psychological analysis, the paradox of judgment, the soft irony make Akutagawa's works genuine masterpieces.