Seven Japanese Tales (Vintage International)

This is a wonderful read. I look forward to reading more from this author

Thank you

As the blind man in `A blind man's tale' says, `ceaseless change is the way of the world'. Tanizaki's world is one of status, obsessions, cruelty, terror and war.`A portrait of Shunkin' brushes a merciless sadomasochistic painting of a cruel blind music teacher and her pupil - lover. She is a vicious liar in the face of unmistakable evidence, and a jealous woman full of morbid sensitivity and stubborn pride, while being obsessed by her status: `She was ashamed of sleeping with an inferior. (It was) nothing more than a physiological necessity.'`The Bridge of Dreams' evokes the inextricable intimate link between mother and child, `that sweet, dimly white dream world there in her warm bosom among the mingled scents of her hair and her milk.'His mother dies and his father remarries a former geisha, who becomes a substitute for his mother (and her breasts). But, the boy lives in a cruel world: `Ever since Father had married a former entertainer, my relatives had held a hostile attitude toward our family. To put it bluntly, they believed that we were committing incest.'`The Tattooer' `s pleasure lay in the agony men felt as he drove his needles into them, torturing their swollen, blood-red flesh.'`The (professional) Thief' revives his deceitful school years.`Aguri' tells the story of a transformation of a girlfriend through Western clothes.`Terror' analyzes a case of railroad phobia.`A blind man's tale' is a bloody story of predatory shoguns, `cunning men with an eye for women.'Their world is governed by beasts: `no matter how honorably one side behaves, it's useless if the other side won't do the same. Must you really be such a beast to rule the country?'For sure, `ceaseless change is the way of the world, and changes in fortune are especially drastic in times of war.'These tales are an excellent introduction into the world and the writings of J. Tanizaki. For Tanizaki, the world is not a paradise inhabited by rational human beings. To the contrary, mankind's actions are governed by lust for power, physiological (sexual) necessities, revenge, physical and psychological obsessions, personal pride, masochistic and sadistic impulses, abusive interpretations, slander and cunning deceit.Highly recommended and a must read for all Tanizaki fans.