This book wasn’t for me. I’m glad I’ve read it, especially as it comes from one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature, and I think the prose itself is good, I just wasn’t a fan of the stories themselves. There are three stories here, “The Qilin”, in which Confucius tries to help a duke seeking virtue, Killing O-Tsuya, a novella in which a servant, in love with his employer’s daughter, ends up caught in a web from which he struggles to escape, and “The Siren’s Lament”, a short story where a young prince falls in love with a mermaid.

The two short stories read like fairy tales or folklore, and work in this context, whereas the novella is fairly different. The short stories lean more towards fantasy, with “The Qilin” taking on an element of horror, but the novella is more like crime fiction. I’m not sure if these three are always included together, but the novella placed with the other two feels like a strange choice.

Overall, like I said, I’m glad I read it, especially as I want to read more translated works, but I was left feeling unimpressed by these specific stories.

"The Siren's Lament" by Jun'Inchiro Tanizaki, a newly translated collection featuring two short stories and a novella, offers an intriguing glimpse into the intertwining of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, dark desires, and the fine line between the sublime and the depraved. The standout story for me was the novella, "The Siren's Lament," where a young prince, weary of constant debauchery, encounters a mesmerizing mermaid. This tale, along with "The Qilin" and "Killing O-Tsuya," showcases Tanizaki's exploration of cultural identity, family dynamics, and eroticism.

Each story in the collection has its unique allure, but it's "The Siren's Lament" that resonates the most. Its blend of mythological elements with human emotions creates a narrative that is both enchanting and thought-provoking. The translation by Bryan Karetnyk is seamless, maintaining the essence of Tanizaki's style, which is known for its rich, descriptive language and deep psychological insights.

Despite the novella being the highlight, the other stories are not to be overlooked. "The Qilin" offers a poignant look at the conflict between virtue and pleasure, while "Killing O-Tsuya" delves into a world of murder and corruption following a seemingly innocent elopement. Each story, through its unique lens, contributes to the thematic exploration of desire versus morality, making the collection a cohesive and compelling read.

Tanizaki's ability to create vivid, complex characters and his masterful storytelling are evident throughout the book. The tales, while rooted in mythology, have a timeless quality, making them relevant to contemporary readers. The exploration of themes such as temptation, the corrupting influence of desire, and the moral dilemmas faced by the characters are particularly engaging.

Overall, "The Siren's Lament" wass a 4-star read for me. It's a collection that not only offers an insightful look into Japanese literature but also invites readers to ponder the deeper aspects of human nature. For anyone interested in classic Japanese fiction (me!!) or looking for a literary journey that combines the mythical with the moral, this collection is a must-read.

I appreciate the way these three stories were translated and how they were brought together into one collection like this - the stories seem distinct from each other but if you look at them closely have similar elements that bring them together.

Translated from Japanese, the dark and glittering tales in this book will entrall readers. Will definitely be ordering for my library.

It was a new yet mild story collection of Tanizaki. The most intriguing story was the second one, Killing O-Tsuya, which was also the longest one. It felt a lot more fleshed out than the others as they felt more like little stories to read at night. Can't say it's Tanizaki's strongest work, but new work from his something I'll always consider reading.

A collection from one of the most important figures in 2oth century Japanese literature, exploring what are some of Tanizaki's more important themes of Japanese connections to older myths shared with China, and the dark nature of desire. And available in English for the first time.

A great collection to have on your shelf and dip into, and probably a must-have for any Japanophile. 4 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

This is actually my first experience with Tanizaki's writing, though I have several of his books on my kindle. I keep on finding reasons to put off reading his full length works, so when I saw this available through Netgalley, I had to ask for just so I could get a taste of what I had been putting off. These three stories seem explore women's ability to draw men in, It almost feels a bit like a warning to men. However, there are also discussions about desires, dreams, and morals. It was really interesting and has made me consider whether or not I am going to pick up more by him sometime soon.

I will say that I love the cover.

A big thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of these three short stories, however, all thought and opinions are my own.

A fantastic collection of short stories from a Japanese master of the form. When I first read Tanizaki, I felt a deep disappointment when the lack of translation of his work left me hungering for more. With the publication of this volume, I can only hope a new generation of readers can have their minds opened to a master of the craft.

Three stories in this collection from early last century. The first and third(the title story) read more like fables and the second (killing O-Tsuya) is longer about a young servant who elopes with his boss’s daughter leading to a life of drunkenness and violence. An enjoyable read.

This book had a few stories that were good a few that were not so good and one that I don’t think should’ve been in the book. I love stories with mythological creatures and having read many other mythology books and fairytales from other countries I know it isn’t lost in the translation for the most part I really enjoyed this book although they did have one story where a 14-year-old girl woke up and saw a couple having sex on the mat next to her and then they invited her to have sex with them I found that holy inappropriate and I know having done enough places and read enough books but that is an excepted in any culture or at least I really hope not. The other stories were very good with great imagination and a talent for writing I found the authors stories are totally worth reading I just didn’t like that one in particular story I found made no sense or had no direction but the ones that were good but really good. If you like fairytales and mythology from other countries you like most of the stories in this book and so I still recommend it because as I said the good stories are very good . I want to thank Pushkin press and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was an interesting collection of three short stories. There is a common theme of wanting what you cannot have, or maybe desiring the unobtainable is a better phrase to use. Two of them are fantastical, the other not so much.

In these short stories Tanizaki’s writing shines through and that is exactly the highlight of these stories. The writing almost made the subject and the quality of the narrative not matter. Though the three stories were interesting enough, it was definitely the writing itself, the way the author expresses himself, that made me enjoy them as much as I did.

The longest story was the darkest and the most grounded in real life. The other two kind of read like fables or morality tales. I thought each of them very interesting to read.

What these stories did was simply wet my appetite to read more from this author.

*walks in, humming* ♫She's just a devil woman with evil on her mind♫...

Some women are bad news. Relinquishing their humanity (and depth of character), they become trouble incarnate, luring men with their feminine ways. Protagonists toss and turn, sighing with desire, losing themselves to the siren call of their depravity. Alas! Woe on he who heeds it!

This is a collection of three stories on the theme of women's ensnaring maleficence: "The Quilin", "Killing O-Tsuya" and "The Siren's Lament". They're apparently some of Tanizaki's earlier works, and while I wasn't expecting much, I have to wonder if it's the theme, the style, or the translation that didn't work too well for me. I've found him a bit hit and miss as an author, but I loved "Longing and Other Stories" so I was hoping to love this, too.

"The Quilin" has Confucius traveling through China and teaching rulers the principles of proper rule. A small duke who lives it up while his people go hungry asks for his help. Rather predictably, Confucius teaches him an ounce of frugality, and this makes the duke's consort pretty mad (for some reason, the duke also seems less interested in sex, and didn't seem to have imparted Confucius's wisdom with her, so whose fault is it, really?). She takes Confucius on a tour of the world's many charms (she's not on the list; but mystical drugs are), then shows him the flip side of delight: the horror of maiming anyone who stands in her way. Confucius scurries off in search of nicer kingdoms, and the duke returns to his consort's influence. I find it lovely that, for all his supposed wisdom, Confucius is a bit of a coward here. He can't be swayed with riches, but show him a cut off nose and he'll run away.

"Killing O-Tsuya" is a novella, allowing for more character building. An honest man falls in love with his master's daughter, and the two agree to elope with the help of a friend. However, things go badly. The protagonist commits murder in self-defense, and his beloved is forced/seduced into the life of a geisha, revealing her true character as a treacherous, fun-loving, luxury-loving, lustful, flighty, ruthless individual. Eventually, their lascivious/depraved/jealous downward spiral leads them both to their downfalls - the poor man tries to do the right thing, but her feminine wiles are too strong.

"The Siren's Lament" is another short story about a handsome, rich prince who lives it up in style with prostitutes and all manner of (undescribed) debauchery, until he gets bored and nothing rouses his interest anymore, not even his seven peerless concubines, one of whom can sing beautifully, one of whom can talk beautifully, one of whom has beautiful arms, one of whom has beautiful dimples, and the last three suffering from the author's lack of imagination, so the only thing we're told about them is that they have other (unnamed) qualities. One day, an extremely handsome Dutchman, described in loving detail, brings the prince a mermaid - mermaids are said to bring disaster to those who love them, but the prince buys the mermaid anyway (once he can tear his eyes away from the attractive Dutchman). The mermaid is so beautiful and so unnatural that she can barely be described. And all she wants is to go home, so the prince agrees to take her, and frees her with no disasters befalling anyone, except himself, who loses his one true love. But it's fine, he's heading to Europe, where people are very handsome and mermaid-like. (Hear that? We Europeans are exotic!)

Aside from moments when his imagination seems to hit a strange dead end, Tanizaki's style is compelling and atmospheric. He alludes to, rather than describes, horrors and wonders, and it mostly works, but the shorter stories seem to lack a properly strong ending. "Killing O-Tsuya" works better in that regard - although it hits an almost melodramatic note. If these are some of his first stories, then they're pretty good; but they show a lot of promise, rather than great genius.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an e-ARC of this title, to be released September 26, 2023.
Made up of 2 short stories and a novella, it appears none of these earlier Tanizaki pieces had been translated before. Translator Bryan Karetnyk provides the reader with a nice, short introduction - but this is one volume of fiction that could have been improved by including Footnotes to the text.
The first and last short stories have Chinese/Japanese historical and mythological settings.
But the real stand out here is the novella, "The Killing of O-Tsuya". Written in the early 20th C, it can stand with anything James M. Cain or the early Dashiell Hammett has written! Made into a movie twice in Japan (1934 and 1951 - both seem to be impossible to view anywhere), I could easily see this remade once more by Tarrantino or the Coen Brothers (Pushkin Press - you should send them copies of this book!). The ending is a bit abrupt - I wish he had developed the coming end of Otsuya a bit more.
Reading some of the comments on Goodreads, I think that having some experience, and understanding, of Japanese literature, if not with Tanizaki in particular, helps in appreciating this volume.
My thanks to Pushkin and Bryan Karetnyk for translating and publishing this short, outstanding, collection.
4.5 out of 5.

I'll be honest and say this isn't the usual type of book I read.. It's ok.. I think the best story of the three is the namesake of the collection The Siren's Lement.
Good cover that caught my attention

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to give my review of this

The Siren’s Lament is a collection of three stories by Tanizaki. I’ve always wanted to read Tanizaki and I believe this collection was a good introduction to his work. I’m not familiar with Tanizaki's work so I’m unable to discern if this translation is accurate or does the original work justice.

My favorite story of the three is “Killing O-Tsuya” because it stood out the most to me in contrast to the rest. The unraveling of the character’s doomed elopement was highly entertaining, as well as how theatrical the story felt. The slower pacing of this story also allows the reader to develop deeper connections with these corrupted characters– feeling a greater impact once the tragic ending strikes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of three of Tanizaki's stories. The thematic link seems to be the enchanting (and corrupting?) powers women have over men. In the first story, we see Confucius try and fail to show a ruler that his blind devotion to his cruel wife is bringing ruin to his kingdom. In the second story, which is perhaps among the best I read by the author, a young apprentice falls in love with the daughter of his master, and goes on a journey that corrupts his soul and being to the core. In the third and final story, a mermaid enchants a disillusioned Chinese ruler, who leaves everything only to help her achieve her dream.

As ever, the author's writing is superb. It in itself is enchanting and indeed somewhat erotic in its style. Having read a lot of his work, these stories do not fall short. The characters are vivid and colourful, the writing is crisp and engaging, and the stories are interesting.

I also liked the editor's choice of putting these three stories together - they are indeed linked and it makes sense to read them together.

I did find myself struggling with think, though, the most. The moralising felt a bit heavy handed, a bit like in Tolstoy's Family Happiness, and perhaps didn't age well. Oh well.

Great insight into Japanese and Chinese mythology. I’ll be on the lookout for more of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki’s writings.

Since I’m unfamiliar with the stories in these collections, I’m not qualified to comment on the accuracy of Bryan Karetnyk’s translation. The writing is smooth, and seems to lack artistic liberty however, which I highly respect and enjoyed.

Out of the three stories, I enjoyed “Killing O-Tsuya” most—it’s length allowed for deep exploration into the characters and their growth. “The Qilin” and “The Siren’s Lament” were excellent as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the eARC. All thoughts were my own.

I always longed to read Tanizaki's works and when I came across this book, I immediately interested. And after learning that this book contained his early works, I feel like I'm in good path. I'm not familiar with his writings yet, but I found myself enjoying all the stories in this book.

This book contains three short stories, written by Tanizaki in early years of his carreer. I liked all of them, but I think my most favorite will be The Qilin. Although I'm not familiar with Confucius or Chinese philosophy and history, I enjoyed the story quite much and it left me with some sort of feelings after reading that. I liked the sensation I was feeling after I finished reading the story. I also liked the second story. Killing O-Tsuya. I liked how the story turned from what I thought as forbidden love story drama with high possibilities of a happily-ever-after kind of ending into something brutal and tragic. I liked how things slowly leaning to the corrupted way step by step as I was advancing toward the ending. I enjoyed reading the third story, The Siren's Lament, but I found the ending to be quite unclear for me. But I found the story to be some sort of cooling down after all the euphoria of the second story.

I enjoyed reading Tanizaki's writings and I can't wait to read some more of his work. I think I would enjoy them as well.

Thank you for NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

This book is comprised of three short stories, The Qilin, Killing O-Tsuya, and The Siren's Lament. The Siren's Lament was the most interesting one and the only story that I somewhat enjoyed reading. The writing style makes it difficult to comprehend and visualize. The pacing was strange. I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I didn't click with it.

The Siren’s Lament is a collection that contains two short stories and one novella in the middle by the classic Japanese author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. This was a great introduction to the fiction of Tanizaki (I’ve always wanted to read his novels, especially The Makioka Sisters), it is also a brand new translation by Bryan Karetnyk. The last short story is the title one, which is very fitting as all three stories in a way deal with the theme of women as temptresses, desire vs. morals, or reason. The most impactful and memorable text is the novella Killing O-Tsuya which tells a story of an elopement gone wrong. Some of the elements made me think of Macbeth (especially Lady Macbeth). I didn’t fully love the very ending of this story but still, it was a really captivating, somewhat theatrical, read. I breezed through these stories and would recommend them to anyone interested in less known classics. It definitely made me want to read more of Tanizaki’s works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the e-arc. The book comes out in September 2023 :)