Siren's Lament

A new selection and translation of short stories by a hugely prominent classic Japanese writer, filled with eroticism and fantasy 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 naive 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.