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PLEASE NOTE: Due to our flood disaster 10/4, some stock may be unavailable due to loss. HOURS as of Oct 2024: Tues-Fri 11:00-5:00, Sat 11:00-7:00, Sun 12:00-5:00. Call (207)253-6808 or visit us as 661 Congress St in Portland, Maine! MABA Member.
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Pushkin

The Siren's Lament : Essential Stories by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

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Petite trade paperback.

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.