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The Siren’s Lament

Essential Stories

Part of Essential Stories

Author Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki
Translated by Bryan Karetnyk
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Paperback
$18.00 US
Steerforth Press | Pushkin Press
4.78"W x 6.44"H x 0.6"D   | 6 oz | 56 per carton
On sale Sep 26, 2023 | 224 Pages | 9781782278092
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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.
“In these stories we have that still-young man, randy and undisciplined, ranging everywhere for pleasure.” — The Washington Post
“Undiscovered jewels.” — Guardian

"A stylistic tour de force... a wonderful addition to English representations of one of Japan's most imaginative, controversial novelists" -- Times Literary Supplement

“Lyrical, dramatic and unforgettable…Highly recommended!” — Shiny New Books

Praise for Jinochiro Tanizaki:

“Junichiro Tanizaki may well prove to be the outstanding Japanese novelist of this century” — New York Times Book Review
 
“Japan's great modern novelist. Tanizaki createda lifelong series of ingenious variations on a dominant theme: the power of love to energize and destroy” — Chicago Tribune
 
“Tanizaki writes with an unabashed sensuality” — John Updike
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965) was a widely acclaimed writer, considered to be one of the most important figures in modern Japanese literature. His writing career extended from the end of the Meiji era in 1912 through the rapid growth and modernization of the 1960s. His writing draws on elements of classical Japanese literature, as well as Chinese mythology and Western literature.

Bryan Karetnyk is a British writer and translator. His translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.

BRYAN KARETNYK is a British writer and translator. His translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.
Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki View titles by Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki

About

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.

Praise

“In these stories we have that still-young man, randy and undisciplined, ranging everywhere for pleasure.” — The Washington Post
“Undiscovered jewels.” — Guardian

"A stylistic tour de force... a wonderful addition to English representations of one of Japan's most imaginative, controversial novelists" -- Times Literary Supplement

“Lyrical, dramatic and unforgettable…Highly recommended!” — Shiny New Books

Praise for Jinochiro Tanizaki:

“Junichiro Tanizaki may well prove to be the outstanding Japanese novelist of this century” — New York Times Book Review
 
“Japan's great modern novelist. Tanizaki createda lifelong series of ingenious variations on a dominant theme: the power of love to energize and destroy” — Chicago Tribune
 
“Tanizaki writes with an unabashed sensuality” — John Updike

Author

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965) was a widely acclaimed writer, considered to be one of the most important figures in modern Japanese literature. His writing career extended from the end of the Meiji era in 1912 through the rapid growth and modernization of the 1960s. His writing draws on elements of classical Japanese literature, as well as Chinese mythology and Western literature.

Bryan Karetnyk is a British writer and translator. His translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.

BRYAN KARETNYK is a British writer and translator. His translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.
Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki View titles by Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki

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