The Siren’s Lament: Essential Stories

by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, 谷崎潤一郎, Bryan Karetnyk (Translator)

Lavishly opulent stories of sensual obsession, cultural heritage, and mythological creatures—translated into English for the first time—from a classic Japanese writer

Featuring “The Qilin,” “The Siren’s Lament,” and the novella Killing O-Tsuya, this gorgeous new edition of 3 classic works translated by Bryan Karetnyk distills the essence of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's shorter fiction: the co-mingling of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, the chillingly dark side of desire, and the paper-thin line between the sublime and the depraved.

“The Qilin”: The sage Confucius travels to a kingdom ruled by a struggling duke, whose pursuit of virtue is threatened by his consort's obsession desire for pleasure.
Killing O-Tsuya: A naïve servant elopes with his master's daughter, only to be plunged headlong into a world of murder and corruption.
“The Siren’s Lament”: Exhausted by a lifestyle of never-ending debauchery, a young prince finds himself in possession of a dazzling, beguiling mermaid.

The essential short works of one of the most important and widely-read figured in modern Japanese literature, author of hugely popular works including In Praise of Shadows, The Makioka Sisters, and Naomi; renowned for his investigations of family dynamics, eroticism, and cultural identity.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Japanese Literature, Japan, Fantasy, 20th Century

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2023

About the author

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎) was a Japanese author, and one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature, perhaps the most popular Japanese novelist after Natsume Sōseki.

Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.

Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three newly translated, early pieces from Jun’ichiro Tanizaki including one previously unavailable in English. Bound together by themes of duty and virtue in conflict with vice and debauchery, for me the standout entry’s the 1915 novella “Killing O-Tsuya” a compelling account of a young man Shinsuke whose obsession with his employer’s daughter leads to his downfall. Set in Edo (Tokyo) Shinsuke’s story is richly atmospheric, fresh, and packed with haunting images of nature and the elements. A window onto a society consumed with greed and bloodlust which threaten to overturn traditional bonds and beliefs. Highly visual, it contains deliberate echoes of the kabuki dramas Tanizaki loved, although there’s also something Poe-like in Shinsuke’s transformation from diffident youth to cold-blooded killer.

Themes centred around notions of moral decay are also the focus of the fable-like “The Qilin” which draws on Chinese history and stories of the life of Confucius. Here Confucius sets off for far-off lands to spread his teachings, he comes across an impoverished kingdom ruled over by Duke Xiang. Like Shinsuke, Xiang is another man brought down by his entanglement with a perverse, demanding woman, his consort Nanzi. For the most part stiff and formal in style, this unexpectedly concludes with a striking vision of savagery and incredible cruelty designed by Nanzi as a means of maintaining her control over Xiang and his people.

Tanizaki shifts from fable to fairy tale in “The Siren’s Lament” set in a version of late 18th century China. At its heart is the indolent, staggeringly wealthy Prince Shidao able to buy any and all pleasurable object or experience he might imagine, yet increasingly jaded and petulant. There’s a Wildean extravagance to Tanizaki’s rendering of the decadent Shidao’s surroundings, his opium-soaked evenings and his array of rosy-cheeked concubines. The Prince’s dissatisfaction is briefly relieved by the appearance of a Westerner who promises to sell him a mermaid, a rare creature with an ability to transform Shidao’s life. The promise isn’t an entirely empty one, but the change the mermaid brings is not the one Shidao anticipated. There’s definitely more than a hint of the world-weary, morality tale lurking behind all of these. As in the fin de siècle narratives, that so fascinated Tanizaki at this point in his career, women are the root of most evils, leading men astray and plunging them into erotic realms in which unfettered indulgence and the realisation of their sexual desires bring nothing but misery and loss of self. Translated and introduced by Byran Karetnyk.

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Pushkin Press for an ARC

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stories in this collection from early last century. The first and third(the title story) read more like fables and the second (killing O-Tsuya) is longer about a young servant who elopes with his boss’s daughter leading to a life of drunkenness and violence. An enjoyable read.

[Aloke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not read the introduction beforehand. It just recaps the stories.

Wonderful atmosphere. Weak plotting.

[Claire Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about these stories other than people really get ripped off in feudal Japan. Nobody can trust anything a person says, cause THEY BE LYIN'. And women are EVIL. THE END

[Steven R. Kraaijeveld · Rating 3 out of 5]

"'I despise you,' said the Duke, his voice trembling. 'You are an evil woman, a devil who means to destroy me. And yet, no matter how hard I try, I cannot be parted from you.'" (37)

This collection contains three early stories by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki—The Qilin, Killing O'Tsuya, and the titular The Siren's Lament. Each of the stories grapples with the seductive and destructive forces of pleasure and desire—whether by juxtaposing the righteous character of Confucious with those of power-hungry despots (The Qilin), by tracing the murderous romantic impulses of a young couple (Killing O'Tsuya), or by exploring the existential emptiness of having all worldly pleasures fulfilled (The Siren's Lament). Not yet Tanizaki at his peak, but worth reading all the same.

"'I have not yet seen a man who loved virtue as zealously as he did pleasure.' Such were the last words spoken by the Sage as he left the state of Wei." (37)

[Bella Azam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the 2nd story the most: Killing O-Tsuya, the sort of love revenge obsession turned to murder drama. The first story Qilim derived from Chinese folktales was a bore to be honest, i was skimming thru this story without any understanding. Siren's lament was more to fantasy but also Chinese inspired which is to me not bad in execution. The depravity of some of the stories are baffling but who to say that humans are vile because these stories do showed how monstrous humans can be.

1. Qilin - inspired from Chinese historical stories, there is Confucius and the portrayal of a domineering evil seductive woman is a bit iffy and I have to be honest, Im not a fan of this story because this felt stale and dull in execution. The narrative feels like I'm reading a historical textbook so I felt bored reading this.
2. Killimg O-Tsuya - this story is much more interesting with the love and romance turned hideous as a theme. Shinsuke, a lowly apprentice of the shop run by O-Tsuya's father. They are in sort of a forbidden relationship as she is of an upper class family while Shinsuke is from the lower class. They decided to elope and convinced by their friend, Seiji, they stayed at his house so that Seiji can convince her father to accepting their relationship but soon things turn ugly with Shinsuke get betrayed and more unfortunate events happened. Shinsuke eventually got his hands dirty, resort to murder and violence. I have to say it reminded me of Bonnie and Clyde, with this couple being the most villainous couple ever, they are unstoppable in committing terrible crimes yet I was very invested in their story. It actually felt very dramatic reading this.
3. Siren's lament - the last story in this collection is quite straightforward with a handsome young prince who lived luxuriously with pleasures from his wealth and seven concubines found himself in a situation where everything seems unappealing. So when a Westerner visited him with a gift of a siren creature kept in an aquarium, he immediately gets attracted to the mythical creature. He became mystified by this siren and wanting it to love him back. It was actually very simple story and I have to say not much happens, it ended quite simply but its still a nice story.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Pushkin Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Siren's Lament was an enjoyable collection of three short stories by Tanizaki Jun'ichirō. All three tales had something interesting to offer, but I think my favourite was "Killing O-Tsuya. It was the longest of the three and I felt that gave me time to really get involved with the characters and their situations. This is the second trio of short stories I've read by this author and I am certainly keen now to go on to read some of his longer works. Recommended if you like early 20th century Japanese fiction. I am giving this book 4.5 stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last two stories were the ones I liked the most; the first one seemed a bit too philosophical/pedagogical, while the second was a real soap opera and the third a heartbreaking love story in its own way.
All three, however, extremely pleasantly written and flowing.

Le ultime due storie sono quelle che piú mi sono piaciute, la prima mi sembrava un po' troppo filosofo/pedagogica, mentre la seconda era una vera e propria telenovela e la terza una straziante storia d'amore, a modo suo.
Tutte e tre, comunque scritte in modo estremamente piacevole e scorrevoli.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[achilles · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I was provided a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

It was a new yet mild story collection of Tanizaki. The most intriguing story was the second one, Killing O-Tsuya, which was also the longest one. It felt a lot more fleshed out than the others as they felt more like little stories to read at night. Can't say it's Tanizaki's strongest work, but new work from his something I'll always consider reading.

[Zosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Siren’s Lament is a collection that contains two short stories and one novella in the middle by the classic Japanese author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. This was a great introduction to the fiction of Tanizaki (I’ve always wanted to read his novels, especially The Makioka Sisters), it is also a brand new translation by Bryan Karetnyk. The last short story is the title one, which is very fitting as all three stories in a way deal with the theme of women as temptresses, desire vs. morals, or reason. The most impactful and memorable text is the novella Killing O-Tsuya which tells a story of an elopement gone wrong. Some of the elements made me think of Macbeth (especially Lady Macbeth). I didn’t fully love the very ending of this story but still, it was a really captivating, somewhat theatrical, read. I breezed through these stories and would recommend them to anyone interested in less known classics. It definitely made me want to read more of Tanizaki’s works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the e-arc. The book comes out in September 2023 :)

[Vara Tan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The themes and topics described by the preface, quotes, and blurb were disappointingly less vibrant and intense than purported. This book ding dang done tricked me!

In theory, the ideas behind these stories are right up my alley. Oooooooo i would've eaten these up. IF they were executed well. which they were not. not sure if it's a product of it's time, or if it's the writer himself, or maybe even the translation but dang. I was let down. I probably almost definitely missed out on some deeper-level themes and musings, so that also contributes to this low review, but i mean, like, i wanted obsession, tragedy, INTENSITY, and all i got was like "ooo, but like IMAGINE there was feeling".

The first story was boring and like "huh? okay". The second was boring and long. And the third was the best but still boring. I liked that the last one read more like a fairytale, but it was still, like, a bad fairytale. And boring.

*forgot to add the weird western glorification thing. couldn't tell if it was a deeper theme or internalized racism or a deeper theme about internalized racism but I just didn't like it lol

Tried to branch out to a different-ish genre and structure. I also wanted to explore an author that was new to me. Did not work out, but not de-motivated. 2 stars.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest and say this isn't the usual type of book I read.. It's ok.. I think the best story of the three is the namesake of the collection The Siren's Lement.
Good cover that caught my attention

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to give my review of this

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a treat when a new English translation of Tanizaki's work comes out. These stories are from his younger days and deal with his favorite themes: desire, decadence, longing, and violence. The second story was the best (and which weighed me towards four stars) while the last one was the weakest. The translator noted that the second story is structured like a kabuki play and has many references to the theater. It's a terrific story that would be great on stage and now I'd like to see a kabuki play.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie jestem obsessed ale stabilnie

[Wolfe Tone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and rich early stories from the great Tanizaki.

[tsukibookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always longed to read Tanizaki's works and when I came across this book, I immediately interested. And after learning that this book contained his early works, I feel like I'm in good path. I'm not familiar with his writings yet, but I found myself enjoying all the stories in this book.

This book contains three short stories, written by Tanizaki in early years of his carreer. I liked all of them, but I think my most favorite will be The Qilin. Although I'm not familiar with Confucius or Chinese philosophy and history, I enjoyed the story quite much and it left me with some sort of feelings after reading that. I liked the sensation I was feeling after I finished reading the story. I also liked the second story. Killing O-Tsuya. I liked how the story turned from what I thought as forbidden love story drama with high possibilities of a happily-ever-after kind of ending into something brutal and tragic. I liked how things slowly leaning to the corrupted way step by step as I was advancing toward the ending. I enjoyed reading the third story, The Siren's Lament, but I found the ending to be quite unclear for me. But I found the story to be some sort of cooling down after all the euphoria of the second story.

I enjoyed reading Tanizaki's writings and I can't wait to read some more of his work. I think I would enjoy them as well.

Thank you for NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

[Anthony H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s exciting to see that, almost sixty years after his death, Tanizaki is still being published in new English translations, and especially in such fine renditions as we see here by Bryan Karetnyk. The English of the translations is British, for a change: all of Tanizaki’s major translators until now have been American. As one of them, I found these translations refreshing and slightly exotic.

Little by little, we’re catching up with Italian and French translators of Tanizaki. In the last few years (that is, since Tanizaki’s copyrights expired), we’ve seen Red Roofs & Other Stories (tr. by Paul McCarthy and me), The Maids (tr. Michael P. Cronin), Devils in Daylight (tr. J. Keith Vincent), Longing and Other Stories (tr. McCarthy and me), and the present volume. Much more remains to be translated, including Tanizaki’s other murder stories.

“The Qilin” (“Kirin,” 1910) was one of Tanizaki’s very first efforts; it immediately followed his most famous short story, “The Tattooer” (“Shisei,” 1910). A delicious, feverish daydream, set in China and featuring none other than Confucius, it displays Tanizaki’s mastery of language, his erudition, and his attraction to the exotic. Karetynk beautifully captures Tanizaki’s lush style (kenran 絢爛 is how Tanizaki Matsuko described it). Here and in the third story, “The Siren’s Lament,” I thought I could almost hear Tanizaki’s own voice. These are very accomplished translations.

“Killing O-Tsuya” (“Otsuya koroshi,” 1915) is a different matter. Set in the Edo “low city” during the shogunate, this longish tale is clearly indebted to the popular, eighteenth-century picture books (kusazōshi) and kabuki performances that Tanizaki relished as a child, especially the gory plays of Mokuami. A few passages show real narrative power, but overall, “O-Tsuya” is wordy and unconvincing; it might better have been composed as a drama. Indeed, it was adapted to the kabuki stage by Kubota Mantarō and to the screen three times by various directors. I’d eagerly go to see a kabuki production, but I doubt that I’ll re-read “O-Tsuya.” This is the only one of the three stories that has been published in English translation before (by Zenchi Iwado, in 1927, as “A Springtime Case”).

In “The Siren’s Lament” (“Ningyo no nageki,” 1917), Tanizaki returns to China, now in the eighteenth century, when Europe had extended its tentacles as far as East Asia. (The author was to travel to China himself for the first time in 1918.) Employing again a luxuriant style and stretching the limits of vocabulary (Karetnyk rises to the challenge), this fable resembles “The Qilin” and other exercises in stylistic extravagance (e.g., “The Magician,” Tanizaki’s next work, and “The Gourmet Club”) and adds the complication of a morbid fascination with the West. “The Siren’s Lament” suggests that embracing the essence of white, European beauty will lead to “nothing but sorrows”—a theme that reappears in later works, such as Naomi (Chijin no ai, 1924-25). I believe that “The Siren’s Lament” is one of Tanizaki early triumphs.

This pocket-sized volume is handsomely made, with a cover designed by Kazuko Nomoto which perfectly captures the flavor of the 1917 illustrations for the title story. The translator provides a helpful preface. The photograph of Tanizaki in late middle-age is anachronistic; an earlier image would be more evocative. Finally, the stories set in China, especially the first, cry out for annotation. The French translation provides a full eight pages of notes for “Qilin;” a scholarly Japanese edition of the story has 134 notes. Tanizaki’s intended audience would have caught many of the exotic references, but this is not so for contemporary readers.

[L A · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Siren's Lament" by Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki, a newly translated collection featuring two short stories and a novella, offers an intriguing glimpse into the intertwining of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, dark desires, and the fine line between the sublime and the depraved. The standout story for me was the novella, "The Siren's Lament," where a young prince, weary of constant debauchery, encounters a mesmerizing mermaid. This tale, along with "The Qilin" and "Killing O-Tsuya," showcases Tanizaki's exploration of cultural identity, family dynamics, and eroticism.

Each story in the collection has its unique allure, but it's "The Siren's Lament" that resonates the most. Its blend of mythological elements with human emotions creates a narrative that is both enchanting and thought-provoking. The translation by Bryan Karetnyk is seamless, maintaining the essence of Tanizaki's style, which is known for its rich, descriptive language and deep psychological insights.

Despite the novella being the highlight, the other stories are not to be overlooked. "The Qilin" offers a poignant look at the conflict between virtue and pleasure, while "Killing O-Tsuya" delves into a world of murder and corruption following a seemingly innocent elopement. Each story, through its unique lens, contributes to the thematic exploration of desire versus morality, making the collection a cohesive and compelling read.

Tanizaki's ability to create vivid, complex characters and his masterful storytelling are evident throughout the book. The tales, while rooted in mythology, have a timeless quality, making them relevant to contemporary readers. The exploration of themes such as temptation, the corrupting influence of desire, and the moral dilemmas faced by the characters are particularly engaging.

Overall, "The Siren's Lament" wass a 4-star read for me. It's a collection that not only offers an insightful look into Japanese literature but also invites readers to ponder the deeper aspects of human nature. For anyone interested in classic Japanese fiction (me!!) or looking for a literary journey that combines the mythical with the moral, this collection is a must-read.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

It must be galling and then some to find that of all your life's output, the "essential stories" from it number three – a novella and two shorter works that take three hours, give or take a fraction, to read – out loud, what's more. Still, it must be good news for the spirit of this author that at least some of his oeuvre are in a tidy little book such as this.

We start with the smallest tale, page-wise, where Confucius is on his travels with his cohorts, and bends the ear of a local duke so much his consort gets jealous. Oh were it to build to a proper ending – and some will find the inherent misogyny a bit too much. The greatest chunk is the middle story, a ripe old melodrama of two star-crossed lovers, and the multiple murders that have to be undertaken en route to them ever getting together. While never bad, as such, it is slightly obvious that this needed the legs of accompanying material to get it to sell.

That best prop might have been the title story, which is fine and exotic, if over-written. A Nanjing prince has been and done it all – drunk all the women, read all the wine, that kind of thing – and begs, begs for something to wake his passions up. Throughout these pages there is nothing to date these pieces until this last mentions Beardsley illustrations, and without knowledge of the author and his contemporaries (I read the brief introduction after everything else, of course) you might wonder the vintage. Turns out these are revolutionary in their daring, and all from the 1910s and so on – it is no great stretch to see them being Victorian, in my mind. What they are combined is not essential, but not really a waste of time. Certainly there may have been an expectation of more – and of less of all these pieces, that can get to prove themselves too lengthy – but this is an acceptable introduction, if such be needed, to this author you probably wouldn't rush to follow on with.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an e-ARC of this title, to be released September 26, 2023.
Made up of 2 short stories and a novella, it appears none of these earlier Tanizaki pieces has been translated before. Translator Bryan Karetnyk provides the reader with a nice, short introduction - but this is one volume of fiction that could have been improved by including Footnotes to the text.
The first and last short stories have Chinese/Japanese historical and mythological settings.
But the real stand out here is the novella, "The Killing of O-Tsuya". Written in the early 20th C, it can stand with anything James M. Cain or the early Dashiell Hammett has written! Made into a movie twice in Japan (1934 and 1951 - both seem to be impossible to view anywhere), I could easily see this remade once more by Tarrantino or the Coen Brothers (Pushkin Press - you should send them copies of this book!). The ending is a bit abrupt - I wish he had developed the coming end of Otsuya a bit more.
Reading some of the comments on Goodreads, I think that having some experience, and understanding, of Japanese literature, if not with Tanizaki in particular, helps in appreciating this volume.
My thanks to Pushkin and Bryan Karetnyk for translating and publishing this short, outstanding, collection.
4.5 out of 5.

[Dima · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three of Tanizaki's stories. The thematic link seems to be the enchanting (and corrupting?) powers women have over men. In the first story, we see Confucius try and fail to show a ruler that his blind devotion to his cruel wife is bringing ruin to his kingdom. In the second story, which is perhaps among the best I read by the author, a young apprentice falls in love with the daughter of his master, and goes on a journey that corrupts his soul and being to the core. In the third and final story, a mermaid enchants a disillusioned Chinese ruler, who leaves everything only to help her achieve her dream.

As ever, the author's writing is superb. It in itself is enchanting and indeed somewhat erotic in its style. Having read a lot of his work, these stories do not fall short. The characters are vivid and colourful, the writing is crisp and engaging, and the stories are interesting.

I also liked the editor's choice of putting these three stories together - they are indeed linked and it makes sense to read them together.

I did find myself struggling with think, though, the most. The moralising felt a bit heavy handed, a bit like in Tolstoy's Family Happiness, and perhaps didn't age well. Oh well.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a few stories that were good a few that were not so good and one that I don’t think should’ve been in the book. I love stories with mythological creatures and having read many other mythology books and fairytales from other countries I know it isn’t lost in the translation for the most part I really enjoyed this book although they did have one story where a 14-year-old girl woke up and saw a couple having sex on the mat next to her and then they invited her to have sex with them I found that holy inappropriate and I know having done enough places and read enough books but that is an excepted in any culture or at least I really hope not. The other stories were very good with great imagination and a talent for writing I found the authors stories are totally worth reading I just didn’t like that one in particular story I found made no sense or had no direction but the ones that were good but really good. If you like fairytales and mythology from other countries you like most of the stories in this book and so I still recommend it because as I said the good stories are very good . I want to thank Pushkin press and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of three works from acclaimed Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki I found interesting and intriguing rather than enjoyable. I’m not drawn to fable-like stories, preferring my reading to be more based in the real world, but I did appreciate the writer’s skill in conjuring up a world, even if that world remained alien to me. There are 2 stories in the collection plus a novella.
In The Qilin Confucius travels to a kingdom ruled by a duke whose pursuit of virtue is undermined by his consort’s pursuit of pleasure. The Siren’s Lament tells of a young prince who finds himself, after a life of debauchery, in possession of a beautiful mermaid. In Killing O-Tsuya a naïve servant elopes with his master’s daughter and finds himself draw into a world of murder and corruption.
A mix of Japanese and Chinese mythology, a focus on desire and the common human pursuit of the good life as opposed to a life of vice, and the difficulty of living up to your ideals when faced with temptation, the stories offers a certain insight into human psychology but overall I found them hard to relate to and never fully entered into the environments described.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of three short stories. There is a common theme of wanting what you cannot have, or maybe desiring the unobtainable is a better phrase to use. Two of them are fantastical, the other not so much.

In these short stories Tanizaki’s writing shines through and that is exactly the highlight of these stories. The writing almost made the subject and the quality of the narrative not matter. Though the three stories were interesting enough, it was definitely the writing itself, the way the author expresses himself, that made me enjoy them as much as I did.

The longest story was the darkest and the most grounded in real life. The other two kind of read like fables or morality tales. I thought each of them very interesting to read.

What these stories did was simply wet my appetite to read more from this author.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Siren’s Lament is a collection of short stories by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. I had recently read In Praise of Shadows (not a fan) and previously have read the Makioka Sisters (which I think I did enjoy). This is somewhere in the middle. A review on the back cover from the Guardian calls it an exploration of “the destructive power of erotic obsession”, which is a pretty spot on take.

I preferred the stories in book order: The Qilin didn’t stick with me, Killing O-Tsuya was the longest and one with the most to ‘say’, describing the downfall of two eloping lovers from respectability into debauchery. It also had the most period interesting details. The Siren’s Lament was a melancholy fable of a spoiled prince in search of the ultimate thrill, which comes to him in the shape of a depressed captive mermaid.

[McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually my first experience with Tanizaki's writing, though I have several of his books on my kindle. I keep on finding reasons to put off reading his full length works, so when I saw this available through Netgalley, I had to ask for just so I could get a taste of what I had been putting off. These three stories seem explore women's ability to draw men in, It almost feels a bit like a warning to men. However, there are also discussions about desires, dreams, and morals. It was really interesting and has made me consider whether or not I am going to pick up more by him sometime soon.

I will say that I love the cover.

A big thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of these three short stories, however, all thought and opinions are my own.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fierce little book is a collection of three shorts by Tanizaki, whose writing I'd not previously encountered.

It's very, very Japanese, but fascinatingly from a time before Japan had fully modernized, and was as a culture straddling its abrupt transition from a feudal state to a...well...still a feudal state, but technological. The three tales date from 1910, 1915, and 1917, and all are marked with a style both traditionally formalistic and remarkably dark. They explore the seductiveness of self-indulgence for those in power, the ease with which violence can become a habit, and the hopeless yearnings of decadent wealth. Miyazaki this ain't.

Fascinating historically, and engaging as narrative, I devoured it. A four point three.

[Max Stolk · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting little book with three stories in which the core theme is laid on thick, but it works. The second story is the longest but is very predictable, maybe through my contemporary western eyes. The last story is interesting, but feels not really developed: there are things the prince has not thought of whilst being so smart that all the scholastic institutions pale in comparison and he forgets he can go abroad? The idea of the mermaid is interesting, but does not creat much tension and the end is so open, there is literally too much to consider. The first time was the most impressive, linking desire, doing good, questions about responsibility, and giving quite a clear ander with nuance I would say. Would recommend!

[Eskil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanizaki's "In praise of shadows" was a brilliant book which really changed how I thought about a lot of things, and now I never shut up about it. The three stories in this collection did not change how I felt, but it is interesting to see similarities between Russian and Japanese literary trends of someone "losing themselves" to carousing and sex and drinking and live music (gasp!). It doesn't work as well if you're the kind of reader who says "well, I would stop after my first headache, personally," but it's all right. The second story was my favourite because it had real psychological motivation and an actual plot. Quite Oshima Nagisa in a way!

[Weronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmm... The book was intriguing, though I anticipated a more intense tone; it turned out to be a light read. The second story, in particular, surprised me with its unexpected twists. However, a common theme across all three stories caught my attention—the portrayal of women controlling men through their feminine charm and uniqueness, driving princes/boyfriends/lovers to lose their sanity. This seemed somewhat sexist, which wasn't unexpected given the historical context. Despite this, the book is a compelling read, and I'd consider revisiting it. :)