The Siren's Lament: Essential Stories

3 captivating short stories by one of Japan's most prominent 20th-century writers, showcasing his characteristic blend of the erotic and the sinister.

“Sexuality and dominance are never far below the surface of Tanizaki's stories.” — The New York Times

In this thrilling collection, celebrated Japanese writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki explores the paper-thin line between the sublime and the depraved. Meticulous and sensual, the 3 stories gathered here distill the essence of Tanizaki's shorter fiction: the commingling of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, and the examinaton of the dark side of desire.

• In “The Qilin,” the sage Confucius visits a cultured duke, whose pursuit of virtue is threatened by the desires of his dazzling, malicious consort. Yet even the master’s philosophy cannot halt the orgy of violence which follows her reassertion of control.
• In “Killing O-Tsuya,” a naïve servant elopes with his master's daughter, only to be plunged headlong into a world of murder and corruption, which will end in the death of his lover.
• And closing with “The Siren’s Lament,” a young prince finds himself obsessed with a sorrowful, beguiling mermaid brought to China by a travelling Dutchman. But can she reciprocate, or are both their hearts doomed to yearn unfulfilled?

This gorgeous new translation by Bryan Karetnyk features two stories never previously translated into English, and one restored to print in English after nearly a century. The book also includes an introduction by the translator, placing Tanizaki’s unparalleled contribution to Japanese literature in context.