Book Condition: Near Fine. Originally published: New York: Knopf, 1955; London: Secker & Warburg, 1956. Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches. Weight: 4.2 ounces. The marriage of Kaname and Misako is disintegrating: whilst seeking passion and fulfilment in the arms of others, they contemplate the humiliation of divorce. Misako's father believes their relationship has been damaged by the influence of a new and alien culture, and so attempts to heal the breach by educating his son-in-law in the time-honoured Japanese traditions of aesthetic and sensual pleasure. The result is an absorbing, chilling conflict between ancient and modern, young and old. "A chilling climax. Tanizaki is a master of ambiguity in his own language and the subtle flavour of the work is skilfully preserved in this translation" The Times "One of Japan's most popular writers in this century. In this and his other books, he pulls aside the shoji that screens Japanese home life to eavesdrop on what people are really saying and thinking behind their polite facades" New York Times "It is important that the British public should become acquainted with this great twentieth-century Japanese fiction writer" -- Anthony Burgess
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