The Siren's Lament

eBook, 192 pages

English language

Published Sept. 28, 2023 by Pushkin Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-78227-810-8

(1 review)

The rich and mysterious short stories of Jun’ichiro Tanizaki pulse with a restless eroticism. Visiting a kingdom ruled by a weak-willed duke, the sage Confucius finds himself drawn into a battle of wills. A naïve servant boy is compelled down a path of vice and sin by his master’s daughter. A young prince finds himself enraptured by his newest possession: a beguiling, enchanting mermaid.

These three stories, two of which are here translated for the first time by Bryan Karetnyk, capture the essence of Tanizaki’s shorter writings. Drawing on tales from both Japanese and Chinese mythology, combined with poignant psychological realism, Tanizaki reveals and revels in the paper-thin line between the sublime and the depraved.

2 editions

Teru reviewed The Siren's Lament by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

An interesting selection for fans of Tanizaki

3 stars

The stories in the collection are of the earlier part of Tanizaki's career and feature much of the usual attention to detail, sumptuous language, and his sexual and thematic proclivities.

Both the first story, Qillin, and the titular story at the end are set in different periods of Chinese history are both fine explorations of decadence and remind the reader of Tanizaki's extensive sinophilia and understanding of history. There are interesting analogies and images used in both though they lack in subtlety when compared to his later works.

It is the middle story, the novella titled Killing of O-Tsuya, that stands out in the collection. While, like the other two, it lacks the more matured and nuanced writing of his later works, it is a gripping tale of excess and degradation that showcases the flair that Tanizaki has for writing complex characters susceptible to passions and practiced (and …

The stories in the collection are of the earlier part of Tanizaki's career and feature much of the usual attention to detail, sumptuous language, and his sexual and thematic proclivities.

Both the first story, Qillin, and the titular story at the end are set in different periods of Chinese history are both fine explorations of decadence and remind the reader of Tanizaki's extensive sinophilia and understanding of history. There are interesting analogies and images used in both though they lack in subtlety when compared to his later works.

It is the middle story, the novella titled Killing of O-Tsuya, that stands out in the collection. While, like the other two, it lacks the more matured and nuanced writing of his later works, it is a gripping tale of excess and degradation that showcases the flair that Tanizaki has for writing complex characters susceptible to passions and practiced (and often, indifferent) cruelty and brutality. Some parallels—or even creative seeds—to other, later, works such as Shunkin and Naomi can be found here.