Red Roofs and Other Stories

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

Sep 2016 · Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies Book 79 · University of Michigan Press

About this ebook

Tanizaki Jun'ichiro (1886–1965), the author of Naomi; A Cat, a Man, and Two Women; and The Makioka Sisters, was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. The four stories in this volume date from the first and second decades of Tanizaki’s long career and reflect themes that appear throughout his work: exoticism, sexuality, sadomasochism, contrasts between traditional and modern societies, disparities between appearance and reality, the power of dreams, amorality, an interest in cinema, and a fascination with the techniques of storytelling. The stories—translated into English here for the first time—are: “The Strange Case of Tomoda and Matsunaga” (“Tomoda to Matsunaga no hanashi,” 1926), “A Night in Qinhuai” (“Shinwai no yo,” 1919), “The Magician” (“Majutsushi,” 1917), and “Red Roofs” (“Akai yane,” 1925).

About the author

Paul McCarthy is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Culture, Surugadai University, Saitama, Japan
Anthony H. Chambers is Professor Emeritus of Japanese at Arizona State University