Junichiro Tanizaki is best known for his novels, ¡°Naomi¡± and ¡°The Makioka Sisters,¡± and is widely considered one of Japan¡¯s greatest writers of modern literature. This collection of his early stories ¡°Red Roofs & Other Stories,¡± published between 1917 and 1926, begins with a novella-like story that alludes to Robert Louis Stevenson¡¯s ¡°Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,¡± as well as Edgar Allan Poe¡¯s ¡°The Cask of Amontillado.¡±
Red Roofs and Other Stories, by Junichiro Tanizaki, Translated by Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy.
176 pages
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS, Fiction.
In ¡°The Strange Case of Tomoda and Matsunaga,¡± a famous novelist named F.K. receives a letter from a stranger whose husband, Matsunaga Gisuke, vanishes every three years, only to return to his family life later without any explanation. After looking through her husband¡¯s satchel and finding a postcard written by a Tomoda Ginzo and addressed to F.K., the woman asks the novelist to help her solve the mystery of her husband¡¯s alternate identity and frequent disappearances.
The following three stories of the collection ¡ª ¡°A Night in Qinhuai,¡± ¡°The Magician¡± and ¡°Red Roofs¡± ¡ª feature similar restless characters in search of an escape to a more decadent, passion-driven life. Tanizaki¡¯s work often focuses on Japan¡¯s cultural identity during the 20th century, weaving in traditional ideals and Western influences, and these tales explore the lure of a Westernized modern lifestyle contrasted with Japan¡¯s traditional way of life.
As with much of Tanizaki¡¯s work, the stories also touch upon themes of amorality, sensuality, exoticism and debauchery.
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