{"title":"Steve Kemme","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection of works by Steve Kemme, an author renowned for his insightful and engaging biographies and memoirs. Through his meticulous research and captivating narrative style, Kemme brings historical figures to life, providing readers with an intimate glimpse into their worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA standout work in this collection is \u003cem\u003eThe Outsider: The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn\u003c\/em\u003e. In this compelling biography, Kemme delves into the fascinating life of Lafcadio Hearn, an influential author best known for his writings on Japan. With careful attention to detail, Kemme paints a vivid portrait of Hearn’s eclectic journey and his enduring impact on literary and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSteve Kemme’s works are perfect for those who adore history and crave deeper understanding of important literary figures. His engaging style and insightful storytelling make his books a must-read for anyone interested in biography and memoir genres.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-outsider-the-life-and-work-of-lafcadio-hearn-by-steve-kemme-9784805317600","title":"The Outsider: The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in Greece and abandoned as a child, Lafcadio Hearn lived the life of an exile. He travelled the world and became a famous writer but always felt like an outsider in Dublin, London, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and French-speaking Martinique. To him, none of these places felt like home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHearn's life in America was punctuated by a string of successes and failures. In Cincinnati, he became the city's best-known crime reporter but was fired after marrying a black woman. Devastated, he moved to New Orleans, where he championed French Creole and Caribbean culture in pieces for \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eScribners\u003c\/i\u003e—and created a new image for the city as a place of voodoo and debauchery (the image which many Americans still hold today as a result).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHearn arrived in Japan at a time of historic change. Sent there as a correspondent for \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, his commission was soon terminated over a dispute about pay. Alone and jobless, he settled in the remote town of Matsue, firmly believing that Japan would provide him with an endless supply of rich writing material—perhaps enough to last a lifetime. And he was right!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the next dozen years, Hearn published 15 books which were lauded by the likes of Mark Twain, William Butler Yeats, Albert Einstein, and Charlie Chaplin. Hearn's books on Japan made him famous as the leading writer on Japan and Japanese culture—a position he still occupies today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book recounts the many colourful episodes in Hearn's life including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eHis troubled childhood in Greece and Ireland, and emigration to America with no job or money\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eHis career as a popular newspaper writer and essayist in Cincinnati and New Orleans where he found great success but was never fully accepted\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eHis journey to Japan where he became a Buddhist, married the daughter of a Samurai, and took the Japanese name Yakumo Koizumi\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eHearn's worldwide fame as a writer, especially for his essays and books on ghosts, demons, monsters, and the supernatural world of Japanese folklore\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAuthor Steve Kemme is president of the Lafcadio Hearn Society\/USA and a leading expert on Hearn's life and writings. This book includes a foreword by Bon Koizumi, Hearn's great-grandson and director of the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue, Japan, along with 30 family images which portray the pivotal people and places in Hearn's amazing life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLafcadio Hearn understands contemporary Japan better, and makes us understand it better than any other writer, because he loves it better.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eBasil Hall Chamberlain\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854169067756,"sku":"9784805317600","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25566583483898.jpg?v=1759235596"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/steve-kemme.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}