The Siren’s Lament

The Siren’s Lament

Essential Stories

About the Book

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.
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Praise for The Siren’s Lament

“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
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Essential Stories Series

And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon
The Siren’s Lament
Where All Good Flappers Go
Every Day is To-Day
Nocturnal Apparitions
The Looking-Glass
Of Sunshine and Bedbugs
A Bad Business
I Would Prefer Not To
Strange Bliss
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About the Author

Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki
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About the Author

Bryan Karetnyk
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