At the time of his death in 1965, at the age of 79, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro had been writing fiction, plays, essays, poems, and translations almost without interruption for more than fifty-five years. In this series of meditations on seven of Tanizaki’s novels and novellas, the renowned translator Anthony Chambers focuses on the thread of fantasy that Tanizaki weaves throughout his work. He examines Tanizaki’s subtle use of storytelling devices to evoke his characters’ alternate sense of reality and to encourage the reader’s participation in their fantasies. Employing his intimate knowledge of Tanizaki’s works, Chambers superbly evokes the beauty and truth Tanizaki’s characters find in their ideal worlds.
