The Siren’s Lament
Essential Stories
Pushkin Press · Print & ebook · September 26, 2023
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.
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- Who it’s for
- Layered stories that reward close attention and settle in nicely for a sustained read.
- Genres
- Japanese Literary Collections, Short Stories (Single Author), Japanese Fiction
- Published
- Pushkin Press, September 26, 2023
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Start with this bookAbout this 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.
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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.
Strange, Lithe Stories
Layered stories that reward close attention and settle in nicely for a sustained read.
Come here for
- classic Japanese short fiction
- fantasy, erotica, and mystery currents
Expect
- anthology form, not a single arc
- literary strangeness with a steady pulse
Where it sits
| Short Stories (Single Author) | 74% |
|---|---|
| Japanese Literary Collections | 58% |
| Japanese Fiction | 51% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- The Classics
- Short Stories (Single Author)
- Japanese Literary Collections
- Authors
- Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki, Bryan Karetnyk, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
- Publisher
- Pushkin Press
- Published
- September 26, 2023
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- The Classics