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Some Prefer Nettles
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.
202 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
About the author
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
456 books1,923 followersJun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎) was a Japanese author, and one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature, perhaps the most popular Japanese novelist after Natsume Sōseki.
Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.
Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.
Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.
Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 395 reviews
November 14, 2017
We’re in 1930’s Japan and one of the main themes of the book is how the people, the upper middle business class, anyway, feel torn between modern Japan with all its new western influence and traditional Japan. The author tells us that to be foreign is to court unhappiness. A ferry boat the main character travels on has a “western deck” and traditional Japanese deck. The house of the main character has a traditional Japanese wing and an “American wing.” The main character goes to a house of prostitution (not a geisha house) run by a western woman with western women prostitutes for western men, largely because he feels honored to be one of the few Japanese allowed access.
The story is one of a terribly unhappy marriage between two people who do not interest each other sexually and who feel a tormenting uncertainty over what to do about it. They consider divorce but they have a school-aged son, greatly complicating things. The woman often cries herself to sleep but the husband feels paralyzed to even reach out to her. Yet he feels they could be “good friends” if they weren’t married. He doesn’t mind that she has taken a lover and in fact has encouraged her to do so.
The main character is the King of Indecisiveness; he wants to delay any action, postpone making any decisions. He’s crazy enough to want to keep involving more people in the divorce decision process to get their input: a male cousin who is friends with his wife; his father-in-law, and even his wife’s lover! As he muses at one point: “It was as though he married her to become obsessed with the question of how can I get away from her?”
Just as he is torn between leaving his wife or staying with her, he reflects the book’s larger theme by being torn between the two competing cultures. Despite his western predilections, he starts to admire his father-in-law, who, in his old age, has turned back to traditional Japanese culture. The father-in-law has taken up with a young geisha. He starts collecting traditional puppets used in plays and insists on drinking sake only from ancient wooden lacquerware cups.
Here are some good quotes related to the father-in-law:
“I read somewhere the other day that men who are too fond of the ladies when they are young generally turn into antique-collectors when they get old.”
“He was always careful to cultivate in his dress and his manner an impression of advanced years.” He believed “Old men should act like old men.”
The main character thinks “…the regret at divorcing his father-in-law might be somewhat stronger than the regret at divorcing his wife…”
Speaking of puppets, one chapter in the book talks quite a bit about traditional Japanese puppet plays. This must have been a theme in Japanese literature at the time: pick a traditional Japanese theme and expand upon it. I’m reminded of the discussion of the special Japanese fabric called chijimi in the novel Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata.
There is also a theme, touched on several times, of regional variation in Japanese culture: Tokyo “reserve” vs. Osaka “openness and probing by asking brash questions even of strangers.”
The author also tells us about what he sees as the phenomenon of “woman-worship” in western culture, going back to the Greeks and epitomized in the modern era by Hollywood always seeking new ways to display womanly beauty.
The prose is interesting. We are told in the introduction that the author is a stylist who aims at a dreamy, floating prose, suspicious of too vivid a choice of words, too clear a view, too conspicuous a transition from one figure or idea to another. The author is quoted in the introduction as writing “Do not try to be too clear; leaves some gaps in the meaning” and “…we consider it good form to keep a thin sheet of paper between the fact or the object and the words that give expression to it.” And of course, for English readers, the translation adds another filmy layer of gauze to the words.
One more quote I liked: “Japanese food is meant to be looked at and not eaten…”
A good read about pre-WW II Japan.
photo of Tokyo in 1930's from rakugoleon.wordpress.com
Japanese puppets from jigsaw-japan.com
The story is one of a terribly unhappy marriage between two people who do not interest each other sexually and who feel a tormenting uncertainty over what to do about it. They consider divorce but they have a school-aged son, greatly complicating things. The woman often cries herself to sleep but the husband feels paralyzed to even reach out to her. Yet he feels they could be “good friends” if they weren’t married. He doesn’t mind that she has taken a lover and in fact has encouraged her to do so.
The main character is the King of Indecisiveness; he wants to delay any action, postpone making any decisions. He’s crazy enough to want to keep involving more people in the divorce decision process to get their input: a male cousin who is friends with his wife; his father-in-law, and even his wife’s lover! As he muses at one point: “It was as though he married her to become obsessed with the question of how can I get away from her?”
Just as he is torn between leaving his wife or staying with her, he reflects the book’s larger theme by being torn between the two competing cultures. Despite his western predilections, he starts to admire his father-in-law, who, in his old age, has turned back to traditional Japanese culture. The father-in-law has taken up with a young geisha. He starts collecting traditional puppets used in plays and insists on drinking sake only from ancient wooden lacquerware cups.
Here are some good quotes related to the father-in-law:
“I read somewhere the other day that men who are too fond of the ladies when they are young generally turn into antique-collectors when they get old.”
“He was always careful to cultivate in his dress and his manner an impression of advanced years.” He believed “Old men should act like old men.”
The main character thinks “…the regret at divorcing his father-in-law might be somewhat stronger than the regret at divorcing his wife…”
Speaking of puppets, one chapter in the book talks quite a bit about traditional Japanese puppet plays. This must have been a theme in Japanese literature at the time: pick a traditional Japanese theme and expand upon it. I’m reminded of the discussion of the special Japanese fabric called chijimi in the novel Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata.
There is also a theme, touched on several times, of regional variation in Japanese culture: Tokyo “reserve” vs. Osaka “openness and probing by asking brash questions even of strangers.”
The author also tells us about what he sees as the phenomenon of “woman-worship” in western culture, going back to the Greeks and epitomized in the modern era by Hollywood always seeking new ways to display womanly beauty.
The prose is interesting. We are told in the introduction that the author is a stylist who aims at a dreamy, floating prose, suspicious of too vivid a choice of words, too clear a view, too conspicuous a transition from one figure or idea to another. The author is quoted in the introduction as writing “Do not try to be too clear; leaves some gaps in the meaning” and “…we consider it good form to keep a thin sheet of paper between the fact or the object and the words that give expression to it.” And of course, for English readers, the translation adds another filmy layer of gauze to the words.
One more quote I liked: “Japanese food is meant to be looked at and not eaten…”
A good read about pre-WW II Japan.
photo of Tokyo in 1930's from rakugoleon.wordpress.com
Japanese puppets from jigsaw-japan.com
July 9, 2017
I enjoyed Some Prefer Nettles immensely. If you appreciate or seek classic literarary fiction, Japanese novels, a well-formed sentence --and many of them --over plot, ambiguous endings, complex family dynamics, imperfect marriages, and the sound of rain frogs on a summer's eve, you likewise may appreciate it.
For an excellent review, read this from William:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For an excellent review, read this from William:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 23, 2017
By the early twentieth century Japan had for decades been pursuing a policy of industrialization. Generally, this push toward modernization began with the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Now it’s sixty years later, 1928, and we find ourselves near Osaka in the home of Kaname and Misako. For a number of years they’ve been trapped in a loveless marriage. Neither knows how to proceed with the inevitable divorce. They are both stuck and suffering. Kaname, who considers himself a modern man, has even allowed Misako to see a lover, even though they still share the same house. A big problem is their young son Hiroshi, about ten, who, with the usual prescience of smart children, has intuited that something is terribly wrong. One morning Kaname arranges to meet his father-in-law at the bunraku puppet theater in Osaka, a favorite haunt of that connoisseur of Japanese culture. Misako can't bear to go since it means she'll have to forgo a meeting with her lover, she'll have to present herself to her father as Kaname's devoted wife, and she'll have to share the company of O-hisa, her father's mistress, a courtesan considerably younger than herself. The play that day is Chikamatsu's
The Love Suicides
(1703). Tanizaki deftly draws parallels between his characters's predicament and the melodramatic action on the stage. The motif of the puppet theater is ideal, since it suggests how the principals are acting a game or masque among themselves. Kaname’s father-in-law has brought food in traditional gold-flecked, black lacquer boxes. He talks a lot about O-hisa’s classical garb (which he busies himself buying to suit his tastes). O-hisa’s teeth have been blackened in the time-honored, esthetically pleasing manner. By today's standards, even in Japan, most would consider her a virtual slave, since everything she does is solely for the old man's pleasure. She is virtually a cipher toward that end. Misako represents the female side of the modern/traditionalist continuum, just as the old man does the male side. The old man likes to argue the merits of Osaka-style puppet theater versus the Tokyo style. He goes on about the correct way to sing the old songs. Kaname is torn. He is intoxicated by the old ways and his father-in-law's lifestyle but thinks of himself as modern. Enter Takanatsu, Kaname’s cousin, on one of his periodic visits from Shanghai. Takanatsu’s a fascinating character who’s able to articulate Kaname's indecisiveness with brutal clarity. With Takanatsu's arrival we see how truly split Kaname is between so-called modern (Western) views and the lure of old Japan. Even the house in which he and Misako live is split between a Western wing and a Japanese wing. Takanatsu, who's been in touch with Kaname by post, arrives with the hope of ending the masque, of revealing the players's true faces. The old man’s ways constitute a limiting provincialism that Kaname acknowledges yet cannot relinquish. Especially fascinating are the digressions Tanizake pursues with regard to Edo Period art, which is so reverenced by the father-in-law. I adore this novel. Tanizaki's touch is deft, his novel's emotional impact powerful.
August 23, 2017
There is a lot of "the grass is greener on the other side" in this short little classic. The question is what side of the fence is greener. There is the west is best or go with the traditional Japanese culture, live life like modern Tokyo or be like the country hicks in Osaka, and stay married where there is obvious love (but no sex) or divorce and proceed into new marriages. Japanese puppet theatre is lovingly featured as well.
July 21, 2018
Japanese is a vague language and they produce vague books. "They prefer their prose to be misty," says the prolific Japanese translator Edward Seidensticker in his introduction, "To suggest more than it says." The great Japanese author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki traces it all the way back to the meandering, oblique Tale of Genji. "We Japanese scorn the bald fact," he says, "and we consider it good form to keep a thin sheet of paper between the fact...and the words."
So here's this thin Jamesian sheet of paper. Kaname and Misako are getting divorced, if they ever get around to it. Nothing dramatic has happened. It's a banal divorce. They're just not that into each other. Misako has a lover. Kaname's main concern is that when the divorce happens, the lover had better settle down with her to save embarrassment. I too have been banally divorced, and I loved this; it reminded me of some parts of mine. The part where for a while we thought we would be friends, that we'd still be important to each other even if we didn't stay married. The part where the loss of love isn't even that interesting; the logistics of divorce are the scary part.
All this and puppet shows! Tanizaki, in his youth a dangerous writer, began to look backwards as he aged, as the timid do. Kaname finds truth in the old-fashioned Japanese puppet shows. "No matter how inspired an actor was, one still said to oneself: 'That's Baiko,' or, 'That's Fukusuke.' But here one had only [the puppet] Koharu herself."
Miss Piggy or gtfo
Kaname wishes the person would disappear, until only the performance remains. He finds his life too complicated. His father-in-law has a consort, O-hisa, almost a concubine, a much younger, submissive woman with her teeth blackened in the old-fashioned style. She resembles a puppet. Kaname would like a puppet. He's a stand-in for Tanizaki, who set his own wife up with a poet friend of his as their marriage washed away. Tanizaki wrote this book two years before they got divorced; it may be a subtle hint, but one would imagine she got it.
this is an actual thing
O-hisa isn't quite what she presents as. Flashes of rebellion show under her makeup. Kaname doesn't come off terribly well, as he curls up. The ending is subtle and brilliant. Apparently Tanizaki is known for good endings. The book says little and implies a lot. It's short and dense. Seidensticker says that Chinese novels are precise, and Japanese ones are misty. I read a lot of Chinese novels last year - he's right - and I'm starting to read a lot of Japanese novels now. There's been a dreamlike quality to many of them. Puppet shows are still silly, but this is a deep book.
all of these are very serious men
So here's this thin Jamesian sheet of paper. Kaname and Misako are getting divorced, if they ever get around to it. Nothing dramatic has happened. It's a banal divorce. They're just not that into each other. Misako has a lover. Kaname's main concern is that when the divorce happens, the lover had better settle down with her to save embarrassment. I too have been banally divorced, and I loved this; it reminded me of some parts of mine. The part where for a while we thought we would be friends, that we'd still be important to each other even if we didn't stay married. The part where the loss of love isn't even that interesting; the logistics of divorce are the scary part.
All this and puppet shows! Tanizaki, in his youth a dangerous writer, began to look backwards as he aged, as the timid do. Kaname finds truth in the old-fashioned Japanese puppet shows. "No matter how inspired an actor was, one still said to oneself: 'That's Baiko,' or, 'That's Fukusuke.' But here one had only [the puppet] Koharu herself."
Miss Piggy or gtfo
Kaname wishes the person would disappear, until only the performance remains. He finds his life too complicated. His father-in-law has a consort, O-hisa, almost a concubine, a much younger, submissive woman with her teeth blackened in the old-fashioned style. She resembles a puppet. Kaname would like a puppet. He's a stand-in for Tanizaki, who set his own wife up with a poet friend of his as their marriage washed away. Tanizaki wrote this book two years before they got divorced; it may be a subtle hint, but one would imagine she got it.
this is an actual thing
O-hisa isn't quite what she presents as. Flashes of rebellion show under her makeup. Kaname doesn't come off terribly well, as he curls up. The ending is subtle and brilliant. Apparently Tanizaki is known for good endings. The book says little and implies a lot. It's short and dense. Seidensticker says that Chinese novels are precise, and Japanese ones are misty. I read a lot of Chinese novels last year - he's right - and I'm starting to read a lot of Japanese novels now. There's been a dreamlike quality to many of them. Puppet shows are still silly, but this is a deep book.
all of these are very serious men
April 24, 2022
Smoke and mirrors
A bunraku puppet
Superficially, this novella is about a Japanese couple living in the 1920s (in any case after the Great Kantō Earthquake) about to break up.
Heading towards divorce for months, without making progress in the matter, they both not only turn a blind eye to, but even encourage one another to have affairs(!) in order to facilitate the process and carry it to fruition... Yet, deeply torn between traditional values and their Tokyoite, Westernized way of life, oddly attached to one another, stuck between two worlds, in short still incapable of making the first step towards separation, they have to face their shared predicament, grapple with their true motivations, and come to terms with their own selves, sooner or later.
No half-assed trick, and no acting dummy will do.
Also see:
Death in Midsummer and Other Stories
Spring Snow
The Gentle Spirit
Narayama
The Book of Tea
Le Japon
Soundtrack:
Mashup Massive Attack + Air + the xx - French Fuse
A bunraku puppet
Superficially, this novella is about a Japanese couple living in the 1920s (in any case after the Great Kantō Earthquake) about to break up.
Heading towards divorce for months, without making progress in the matter, they both not only turn a blind eye to, but even encourage one another to have affairs(!) in order to facilitate the process and carry it to fruition... Yet, deeply torn between traditional values and their Tokyoite, Westernized way of life, oddly attached to one another, stuck between two worlds, in short still incapable of making the first step towards separation, they have to face their shared predicament, grapple with their true motivations, and come to terms with their own selves, sooner or later.
No half-assed trick, and no acting dummy will do.
Also see:
Death in Midsummer and Other Stories
Spring Snow
The Gentle Spirit
Narayama
The Book of Tea
Le Japon
Soundtrack:
Mashup Massive Attack + Air + the xx - French Fuse
March 30, 2023
A dark novella that is a masterful discussion of toxic codependency, cultural conflicts, and uncertainty of the future. Some Prefer Nettles is a portrait of two people who are unhappy together but cannot let one another go, which begs the question: is it easier to hide within the past in an attempt to recreate it, to do nothing and be crushed by indifference and longing, or to face the future alone and without the comfort of cycles? This is also a wonderful allegory for the classic conflicts of culture: East vs West, Traditional vs Modern, Conservative vs Outspoken. This story is a musing on the masks that we wear so long that we fear the faces beneath, a whirlpool of indecisiveness and wanting both everything and nothing.
August 5, 2017
Introduction
--Some Prefer Nettles
--Some Prefer Nettles
July 6, 2018
The story of the gradual disintegration of a marriage, 'Some Prefer Nettles' is not Tanizaki's novels, but contains moments of beauty and poetry interspersed between pages of often too stilted dialogue. Perhaps the dialogue is purposefully stilted; after all the key theme of the novel is the disaffection between the married couple Kaname and Misako, however their separation is a reflection of wider societal trends which Tanizaki is commenting and reflecting on. Kaname, whose Western sensibilities are more a product of his fantasies than any objective reality; his favourite Western book, 'The Arabian Nights' is in fact an Eastern one, and the Western prostitute he is fascinated by is in fact not likely Western at all; in many ways the novels other key theme is the destruction of these mirages, these fantasies which dominate Kaname's psyche, but which he gradually sheds beneath a newfound fascination for Japanese values. Kaname doesn't realise, however, that the ideals he creates about Japan are just as fantastical as his ones of the West-it is this inability to confront and recognise reality which is the key reason for his split with his wife Misako-his idealisations render him incapable of forming concrete relationships with other people, until they begin to resemble the dolls in the plays he admires.
Like most of Tanizaki's novels, the innermost feelings of the characters are subtly rendered via symbols, however the novel lacks the punch of 'The Makioka Sisters'. the ethereality of 'Naomi' or the sad, somnolent beauty of his treatise 'In Praise of Shadows'.
Like most of Tanizaki's novels, the innermost feelings of the characters are subtly rendered via symbols, however the novel lacks the punch of 'The Makioka Sisters'. the ethereality of 'Naomi' or the sad, somnolent beauty of his treatise 'In Praise of Shadows'.
February 2, 2016
Cada bicho com seu gosto;Este é o quarto romance que leio de Tanizaki. É considerado uma das suas melhores obras, mas eu sou mais bicho de urtigas...
alguns preferem urtigas.
(Provérbio japonês)
Entre representações de um teatro tradicional japonês de marionetas, "actua" um casal já cansado um do outro.
"já não era possível o amor entre eles e, como conheciam as qualidades e as fraquezas um do outro, poderiam dar-se bem dali a dez, vinte anos, no limiar da velhice, mas não valia a pena contar com perspectivas tão indefinidas como essas".
Enquanto decidem a melhor altura para se divorciarem (no inverno não, talvez na primavera, ou no verão) - de comum acordo e contra as tradições orientais - cada um deles tem o seu amante.
"Dizem que no Ocidente o adultério é coisa corriqueira, pelo menos nas classes altas. O mais frequente não é marido e mulher enganarem-se reciprocamente, mas ambos reconhecerem e ignorarem o facto, muito como no meu caso."
O tema tem a sua piada, mas o (pouco) desenvolvimento é que aborrece...
November 10, 2021
Tanizaki bu romanında da diğer bazı kitaplarında olduğu gibi; geleneksel Japon kültürü ve değerlerini ele alarak, tanıtmaya ve batı kültürü ve değerleri ile karşılaştırmaya çalışıyor. Bir dönem kültür karmaşası yaşayan kuşağın sıkıntılarını ifade etmeye çalışıyor.
Yine bu kitabında da güçlü kadınlar var. Japon kadınının bir bölümünün yaşamak zorunda kaldığı zorlu hayatın ve aşağılamanın eleştirisi var. Kahramanın kadınlar hakkındaki düşüncelerini ifade eden bazı cümleleri okumak bile zor geldi.
Diğer kitaplarını daha çok sevdim. Özellikle de Nazlı Kar’ı.
Yine bu kitabında da güçlü kadınlar var. Japon kadınının bir bölümünün yaşamak zorunda kaldığı zorlu hayatın ve aşağılamanın eleştirisi var. Kahramanın kadınlar hakkındaki düşüncelerini ifade eden bazı cümleleri okumak bile zor geldi.
Diğer kitaplarını daha çok sevdim. Özellikle de Nazlı Kar’ı.
April 19, 2008
Tanizaki is one of the greats in Japanese literature -and the only one that I know who was obsessed with how the West mixed with the old Japanese culture - in its practice as well as its aesthetic. The puppet theater in the novel is worth the price alone, but what is fascinating about this book is how Tanizaki shares his doubts and love of western culture. It was a conflict with him, and this is what makes his literature so unique in Japanese 20th Century letters.
June 4, 2019
Deliberate with an emphasis on aesthetics.
The blurb gives a coarse approximation of the story, but fails to capture the essence and tone of it. Kaname and Misako's disintegrating marriage is the vehicle for observing a multitude of attitudes in post-Meiji Japan. There is conflict and slippage between the modern and traditional ways, advantages and disadvantages--Tanizaki leaves the reader to decide for themselves.
The power here is the rich and evocative language, the descriptions. This is not an action-oriented story, but rather a sensual exploration. Beautiful, perhaps even indulgent, for one looking for a contemplative read.
The blurb gives a coarse approximation of the story, but fails to capture the essence and tone of it. Kaname and Misako's disintegrating marriage is the vehicle for observing a multitude of attitudes in post-Meiji Japan. There is conflict and slippage between the modern and traditional ways, advantages and disadvantages--Tanizaki leaves the reader to decide for themselves.
The power here is the rich and evocative language, the descriptions. This is not an action-oriented story, but rather a sensual exploration. Beautiful, perhaps even indulgent, for one looking for a contemplative read.
August 4, 2017
There are some minor spoilers in this review. Nothing that gives away the main plot, but some characters are looked at in depth and some plot points are mentioned.
This is the question that is at the heart of Tanizaki’s wonderful “Some Prefer Nettles.” At first, I mistakenly believed that this was going to be another east vs. west style novel, as it was a common theme in Japanese literature during this period. Understandable given that many Japanese traditional values were being replaced with more American/European ideals. Even the clothes were changing drastically, with kimonos leaving and suits becoming the norm.
Though these ideas are discussed, they are notwhat the novel is about... at least not in that direct of a way. In fact, if there is indeed an answer to the above quote, it seems that Tanizaki thinks that there is still no such thing as east and west, north or south.
Tanizaki constantly subverts any personifications of any specific core value, showing them to consistently be flawed. For example, O-hisa, who to Kaname seems to personify the eastern traditions, is scolded by the old man for using a compact at one point and she doesn’t like many of the traditional clothes. She even talks about preferring to read women’s magazines to calligraphy and such. In contrast, the most fully western character (as in the only one actually from Europe) is the madam who puts on a front of how European she is, but even after her brother’s death she refuses to leave Japan. This says to me that Tanizaki is saying that people are pretty much the same everywhere. We’re all fascinated by things foreign and new, but at the same time still uphold a lot of traditional aspects even unintentionally (this is further reinforced by Kaname saying that his marriage would maybe work in the west but would be unheard of in Japanese society towards the beginning of the novel, and then later the old man says how many relationships, including his marriage, are very much like theirs).
Kaname in particularly is in love with the perfect eastern personification, which is why he is fascinated by O-hisa, he even says that maybe he could end up with someone who is "more O-hisa than O-hisa actually is." (I don't have the book on me, so this is probably not the full quote, just the gist of it). Despite this, he regularly sleeps with a woman who looks as European as possible... practically the opposite of O-hisa. Yet despite opposites appearances, they are quite similar. It turns out despite her presentation as a European who escaped her homeland, she's of Asian descent as well. Thus any presentations as fully eastern or western are shown to be... flawed.
Beyond analysis though, my terms of the story as a whole; the book is ambiguous to the point of frustration. I found myself pondering throughout the novel, do they not want a divorce or do they and they are simply too lazy? It was frustrating, but intriguing. I loved the details about classic puppet theater that are presented, and found myself wanting to know more beyond what the book gave me, which is satisfying in its own way as well.
All in all this is a very satisfying read. I’m rather shocked that the book was never adapted into a film. While many readers may not think the plot would serve itself as a film, many Japanese directors of the 50s and 60s thrived on this sort of material, Ozu or Kon Ichikawa in particular come to mind (the later of which directed a film version The Makioka Sisters, which is another Tanizaki novel).
Highly recommended to all fans of Japanese literature, or those looking for a complex dysfunctional family drama.
“In the beginning there was no east and west. Where then is there a north and south?”
This is the question that is at the heart of Tanizaki’s wonderful “Some Prefer Nettles.” At first, I mistakenly believed that this was going to be another east vs. west style novel, as it was a common theme in Japanese literature during this period. Understandable given that many Japanese traditional values were being replaced with more American/European ideals. Even the clothes were changing drastically, with kimonos leaving and suits becoming the norm.
Though these ideas are discussed, they are notwhat the novel is about... at least not in that direct of a way. In fact, if there is indeed an answer to the above quote, it seems that Tanizaki thinks that there is still no such thing as east and west, north or south.
Tanizaki constantly subverts any personifications of any specific core value, showing them to consistently be flawed. For example, O-hisa, who to Kaname seems to personify the eastern traditions, is scolded by the old man for using a compact at one point and she doesn’t like many of the traditional clothes. She even talks about preferring to read women’s magazines to calligraphy and such. In contrast, the most fully western character (as in the only one actually from Europe) is the madam who puts on a front of how European she is, but even after her brother’s death she refuses to leave Japan. This says to me that Tanizaki is saying that people are pretty much the same everywhere. We’re all fascinated by things foreign and new, but at the same time still uphold a lot of traditional aspects even unintentionally (this is further reinforced by Kaname saying that his marriage would maybe work in the west but would be unheard of in Japanese society towards the beginning of the novel, and then later the old man says how many relationships, including his marriage, are very much like theirs).
Kaname in particularly is in love with the perfect eastern personification, which is why he is fascinated by O-hisa, he even says that maybe he could end up with someone who is "more O-hisa than O-hisa actually is." (I don't have the book on me, so this is probably not the full quote, just the gist of it). Despite this, he regularly sleeps with a woman who looks as European as possible... practically the opposite of O-hisa. Yet despite opposites appearances, they are quite similar. It turns out despite her presentation as a European who escaped her homeland, she's of Asian descent as well. Thus any presentations as fully eastern or western are shown to be... flawed.
Beyond analysis though, my terms of the story as a whole; the book is ambiguous to the point of frustration. I found myself pondering throughout the novel, do they not want a divorce or do they and they are simply too lazy? It was frustrating, but intriguing. I loved the details about classic puppet theater that are presented, and found myself wanting to know more beyond what the book gave me, which is satisfying in its own way as well.
All in all this is a very satisfying read. I’m rather shocked that the book was never adapted into a film. While many readers may not think the plot would serve itself as a film, many Japanese directors of the 50s and 60s thrived on this sort of material, Ozu or Kon Ichikawa in particular come to mind (the later of which directed a film version The Makioka Sisters, which is another Tanizaki novel).
Highly recommended to all fans of Japanese literature, or those looking for a complex dysfunctional family drama.
May 6, 2007
some prefer another book.
December 3, 2021
Bir Junichiro Tanizaki romanına daha bayıldım… Japon yazar Tanizaki Türkçeye çevrilen son romanı ‘Bazıları Isırgan Sever’de evliliklerini noktalamaya hazırlanan ancak bu hazırlık evresinde çizecekleri rotayı bile kararlaştıran, alışılmışın dışında bir çifti anlatıyor. Yazar bu kitapta bir kez daha kadın-erkek ilişkisini mercek altına alıyor. Doğu-Batı çatışması üzerine muazzam bir roman çıkmış ortaya. Çok severek okudum. Özellikle ‘Lütfen böyle bitsin’ dediğim finali sanki bir filmin sonunu izlemişim gibi bir his uyandırdı. Tanizaki’ye başlangıç kitabı olarak gayet uygun bir roman. (‘Bir Kedi, Bir Adam, İki Kadın’ ve ‘Nazlı Kar’ da ıskalanmamalı…)
January 10, 2014
I'm trying to distance myself from the cultural and time differences I experienced and still, as much as try to, I cannot really say I liked the book. Some Prefer Nettles is not at all a badly written book, but unfortunately there was nothing in the story or characters I could relate to.
Tanizaki tells a story of a married couple that no longer wants to be married, but somehow Misako and Kaname don't do anything towards their official separation. Both husband and wife want out of this marriage, and it's not something that the times didn't allow them to do, yet neither of them takes a step in the right direction--they maintain a life "together", keeping the image of a married couple for the sake of I didn't actually understand what, while living each a life of their own. And it's perfectly fine by me if somebody wants to live their life in misery (which is actually the way I perceived their relationship), but I cannot remain neutral to the position of constant insecurity in which their son was put (apparently realizing the modern notion of divorce). The novel is centered around the conflict of old and new, of not wanting to change. Alas, I cannot sympathize with people who are not willing to take actions and change a situation they both don't like and are absolutely aware should change. I fully understand what Takizaki tried to do in terms of the conflicts between East and West, old and modern, but...no. Just no. I wish the novel was longer, providing a deeper insight to the main characters and their experiences. That would've probably made me care more about whether they stayed together or not.
I've been really meaning to read another one of Takizaki's books and I will at some point. It's not that Some Prefer Nettles was a major disappointment, it just didn't speak to me in a way that can make me really like a book.
Tanizaki tells a story of a married couple that no longer wants to be married, but somehow Misako and Kaname don't do anything towards their official separation. Both husband and wife want out of this marriage, and it's not something that the times didn't allow them to do, yet neither of them takes a step in the right direction--they maintain a life "together", keeping the image of a married couple for the sake of I didn't actually understand what, while living each a life of their own. And it's perfectly fine by me if somebody wants to live their life in misery (which is actually the way I perceived their relationship), but I cannot remain neutral to the position of constant insecurity in which their son was put (apparently realizing the modern notion of divorce). The novel is centered around the conflict of old and new, of not wanting to change. Alas, I cannot sympathize with people who are not willing to take actions and change a situation they both don't like and are absolutely aware should change. I fully understand what Takizaki tried to do in terms of the conflicts between East and West, old and modern, but...no. Just no. I wish the novel was longer, providing a deeper insight to the main characters and their experiences. That would've probably made me care more about whether they stayed together or not.
I've been really meaning to read another one of Takizaki's books and I will at some point. It's not that Some Prefer Nettles was a major disappointment, it just didn't speak to me in a way that can make me really like a book.
October 19, 2021
Kaname ve Misako artık birbirlerinden mutlu olmayan bir çift. Öyle ki başkalarında mutluluğu aramaya başladılar bile.
Kaçırdıkları veya itiraf etmeye korktukları şeyse ne yapacaklarını bilmemeleri. Ayrılmak en güçlü seçenekleri. Gerçi ayrılmanın da zorlukları gözlerini korkutuyor.
Çocuklarına bunu anlatabilmek, ailelerini bilgilendirmek, ayrıldıktan sonraki yaşamlarının nasıl olacağını öngörememek bu zorluklardan örneğin.
İkisi de bekliyor, sanki birilerinin onlar adına karar vermesi gerekiyormuşçasına.
Kaname de Misako da köşeye sıkışmış hissediyor.
.
Tanizaki karakterlerini zor durumda bırakmayı sever. Onlara sınır koymayı, onları sınava tabi tutmayı da. Bir de ülkesinin Batı’ya karşı durumunu sorgulamayı! Japon kültürünün Batı ile karşılaşmasını, onun Batı kültürü ile karşılaştırmasını bu kitapta da görüyoruz. Bazıları Isırgan Sever görünürde bir çiftin ilişkisine (iletişimsizliğine demek daha doğru olabilir) odaklansa da kadının toplumdaki yerine, eski-yeni çatışmasına, ikili ilişkilerin giderek yozlaşıyor olmasına da değiniyor. Klasik bir Tanizaki kitabı demek mümkün mü? Evet.
.
Bu kitapta sevdiğim bir özellik de her karakterin nötr olması oldu. Sevap ve günahlarıyla, artı ve eksileriyle dengelenen karakterler var karşımızda. Tam da bu yüzden herhangi bir taraf tutmaksızın konunun özüne odaklanabiliyoruz.
.
Devrim Çetin Güven çevirisi (Yengeç Konserveleme Gemisi çevirisini çok sevmiştim ancak bu çevirisi okuduğum diğer Tanizaki çevirilerine kıyasla gölgede kaldı) ve Alper Zeki kapak tasarımıyla.
Kaçırdıkları veya itiraf etmeye korktukları şeyse ne yapacaklarını bilmemeleri. Ayrılmak en güçlü seçenekleri. Gerçi ayrılmanın da zorlukları gözlerini korkutuyor.
Çocuklarına bunu anlatabilmek, ailelerini bilgilendirmek, ayrıldıktan sonraki yaşamlarının nasıl olacağını öngörememek bu zorluklardan örneğin.
İkisi de bekliyor, sanki birilerinin onlar adına karar vermesi gerekiyormuşçasına.
Kaname de Misako da köşeye sıkışmış hissediyor.
.
Tanizaki karakterlerini zor durumda bırakmayı sever. Onlara sınır koymayı, onları sınava tabi tutmayı da. Bir de ülkesinin Batı’ya karşı durumunu sorgulamayı! Japon kültürünün Batı ile karşılaşmasını, onun Batı kültürü ile karşılaştırmasını bu kitapta da görüyoruz. Bazıları Isırgan Sever görünürde bir çiftin ilişkisine (iletişimsizliğine demek daha doğru olabilir) odaklansa da kadının toplumdaki yerine, eski-yeni çatışmasına, ikili ilişkilerin giderek yozlaşıyor olmasına da değiniyor. Klasik bir Tanizaki kitabı demek mümkün mü? Evet.
.
Bu kitapta sevdiğim bir özellik de her karakterin nötr olması oldu. Sevap ve günahlarıyla, artı ve eksileriyle dengelenen karakterler var karşımızda. Tam da bu yüzden herhangi bir taraf tutmaksızın konunun özüne odaklanabiliyoruz.
.
Devrim Çetin Güven çevirisi (Yengeç Konserveleme Gemisi çevirisini çok sevmiştim ancak bu çevirisi okuduğum diğer Tanizaki çevirilerine kıyasla gölgede kaldı) ve Alper Zeki kapak tasarımıyla.
September 26, 2018
I had not expected to be so drawn in by this book after reading the blurb. Just because I like to read a variety of writers across countries and genres I decided to give it a try. Also, I am fascinated by Japanese culture. Certainly I am a big fan of Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishiguro, though the latter cannot be strictly called a Japanese writer. Tanizaki brilliantly captures the angst which comes when you are caught between two things you like/not like, are used to /cannot really accept. The old way of life one has grown up with, it is a part of one's being yet, the pull of modernity and the changes it brings are not bad either. What you choose to accept and what to reject is entirely personal, it cannot be dictated... I also love the open ending, you are and are not sure what the future of the characters hold.
March 22, 2011
From the first reading, I thought I remembered that the father-in-law and his mistress did the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, but I was wrong and they do a less arduous 33 holy places on Awaji. Whoops.
In "Some Prefer Nettles" Tanizaki gives us a charming 1930s couple, Kaname and Misako, who are dripping towards divorce. They are thoroughly modern (Western influenced Tokyo types) and they haven't the energy to stop the rot. But then Kaname starts sliding towards Japanification and all things Osaka. It's his father-in-law's influence. The father-in-law is a man who likes his theatre like his women; dolls. Kaname ends up swinging the same way. Or does he? It's a bit "Choose Your Own Adventure" at the end.
I liked the thoroughly modern cousin who smells of garlic. I liked the conversation about the greyhound's neck. I liked that the thoroughly modern people worried about how the boy will take the separation. I liked that the boy was sad. I was reminded of those poor children in "Tender is the Night" and how no-one ever gave a shit about them.
"the son of Tokyo can, if he chooses, find in Osaka singing the perfect expression of Osaka crudeness. Surely, he may say to himself, the problem, no matter what strong emotions it stirs up, can be taken care of with less grimacing, less twisting of the lips and contorting of the features, less writhing and straining towards the skies. If in fact it cannot be expressed in less emphatic and dramatic terms, then our Tokyo man is more inclined to turn it off with a joke than try to express it at all."
In "Some Prefer Nettles" Tanizaki gives us a charming 1930s couple, Kaname and Misako, who are dripping towards divorce. They are thoroughly modern (Western influenced Tokyo types) and they haven't the energy to stop the rot. But then Kaname starts sliding towards Japanification and all things Osaka. It's his father-in-law's influence. The father-in-law is a man who likes his theatre like his women; dolls. Kaname ends up swinging the same way. Or does he? It's a bit "Choose Your Own Adventure" at the end.
I liked the thoroughly modern cousin who smells of garlic. I liked the conversation about the greyhound's neck. I liked that the thoroughly modern people worried about how the boy will take the separation. I liked that the boy was sad. I was reminded of those poor children in "Tender is the Night" and how no-one ever gave a shit about them.
"the son of Tokyo can, if he chooses, find in Osaka singing the perfect expression of Osaka crudeness. Surely, he may say to himself, the problem, no matter what strong emotions it stirs up, can be taken care of with less grimacing, less twisting of the lips and contorting of the features, less writhing and straining towards the skies. If in fact it cannot be expressed in less emphatic and dramatic terms, then our Tokyo man is more inclined to turn it off with a joke than try to express it at all."
May 1, 2017
READ DURING "THE DARKNESS"
A very touching and incredibly sad story of a disintegrating marriage. Would elaborate but high levels of pharmacopeia at the time allows for little recall. (Million-dollar idea: Remake of Total Recall named Little Recall featuring the talents of dwarf actors exclusively. Nailed it!)
A very touching and incredibly sad story of a disintegrating marriage. Would elaborate but high levels of pharmacopeia at the time allows for little recall. (Million-dollar idea: Remake of Total Recall named Little Recall featuring the talents of dwarf actors exclusively. Nailed it!)
May 21, 2018
รักไม่เต็มร้อย Some prefer nettles ของ จุนอิจิโร ทานิซากิ แปลโดย แคน สังคีต สนพ.บ้านหนังสือ
ผิดคาดกับเล่มนี้ทีเดียวค่ะ
เพราะอ่าน The Key กับ Quicksand มา เราก็คาดว่าเล่มนี้ของทานิซากิมันคงจะบีบคั้น ทำร้ายคนอ่านหนักหนาสุดๆ ตามเคย แต่เปล่าเลย Some prefer nettles มันไม่ใช่งานในแนวที่เราคิด
เรื่องราวของ Some prefer nettles มี 'คานาเมะ' คุณสามีเป็นตัวเอก เขามีชีวิตสมรสที่ไม่ค่อยจะราบรื่นเท่าไร แต่... มันก็ไม่ใช่ด้วยเหตุผลเลวทรามต่ำช้า เค้าแค่มอง 'มิซาโกะ' ภรรยาของตัวเอง เป็นเหมือน 'เพื่อนมนุษย์' มากกว่าจะเห็นเธอเป็นผู้หญิง ซึ่ง...สำหรับคนเป็นภรรยา นี่คงจะเจ็บปวดมากเลย
มิซาโกะกับคานาเมะ มีรสนิยม วิธีการคิด การมองโลก ทุกอย่างคือเข้ากันได้ พูดง่ายๆ คือ ถ้าทั้งคู่ไม่แต่งงานกันทั้งคู่คงจะเป็นเพื่อนต่างเพศหรือเพื่อนคนนึงเลยที่เข้ากันได้ดีมากๆ
'หลายปีที่อยู่กินกับมิซาโกะ เขาครุ่นคิดอยู่กับปัญหาเดียว จะทิ้งเธอไปได้อย่างไร'
คานาเมะเห็นภรรยาตัวเองนอนร้องไห้ตอนกลางคืนมาหลายปี จนส่งเสริมให้เธอเริ่มคบกับชายคนใหม่ โดยเขารับรู้ความเป็นไปทุกอย่าง เขาอยากเห็นเธอมีความสุขนะ อยากเดินจากกันแบบเพื่อนที่ดี และวันนึงข้างหน้า หากจะกลับมาเจอกัน ก็จะกลับมาเจอกันอย่างมีความสุข
'เขาอยากให้สะอาดหมดจดโดยไม่ต้องเสียน้ำตา
เขาอยากได้การตัดสินใจแบบที่ความรู้สึกของเขากับภรรยาสอดคล้องกลมกลืน
ความรู้สึกแห่งการแยกทางกันเดินที่หลอมละลายกลายเป็นความพึงพอใจหนึ่งเดียว'
เป็นงานเขียนที่แปลกค่ะ เหมือนเอาชีวิตจริงของทานิซากิมาเล่าเลย คือทานิซากิเองก็ยกภรรยาตัวเองให้เพื่อนล่ะค่ะ ...มันไม่มีชิงรักหักสวาท ไม่มีวิวาทะความรุนแรงเลย มีแต่เจตนาดีๆ และความหวังดีที่มีให้กันล้วนๆ ...เรื่องนี้มันก็เลยดำเนินไปภายใต้ตรรกะแบบนั้นล่ะนะ
จุดเด่นเล่มนี้คือ
1. เดินเรื่องด้วยบทพูด
นี่ก็เป็นสไตล์ของทานิซากิล่ะนะ บทพูดเยอะและยาวมาก นึกว่าแอบอ่านหน้าคุยไลน์ของเพื่อนอยู่ มันจะมีฉากพูดแทรกและฉากที่ 4 คนคุยกัน สติสตังในการอ่านต้องแน่นมากค่ะ ต้องตามให้ทันว่าใครเป็นใคร ประโยคไหนใครพูด แทบทั้งเล่มเป็นบทพูด ดังนั้นตรงไหนเป็นบทบรรยายนี่เราจะดีใจมาก 555 เหมือนได้พักเหนื่อย
บทบรรยายแบ่งเป็น 2 ส่วน เราชอบส่วนที่เป็นความนึกคิดและการนึกย้อนของตัวละคร แต่จะมีอีกส่วนที่เล่าเรื่องศิลปวัฒนธรรม ซึ่งค่อนไปทางวิพากษ์มากกว่า อ่านแล้วไม่อินเลยค่ะ เหมือนอ่านประวัติศาสตร์ที่เราไม่รู้เรื่องอยู่
2. ความสดใหม่
อาจฟังดูแปลกที่บอกว่างานเขียนอายุ 90 ปีมีความสดใหม่ แต่มันเฟรชจริงๆ ค่ะ ทั้งคู่ความสัมพันธ์ในเรื่องและเหตุการณ์ในเรื่อง
ความสัมพันธ์ที่ว่าคือ คานาเมะสนิทกับคนฝั่งบ้านภรรยามากๆ กับพ่อตานี่คือ สนิทมากถึงขั้นไปชมละครด้วยกัน(พร้อมอีหนูคนสวยของพ่อตา) หรือกระทั่งเดินทางข้ามเมืองไปชมละครกับพ่อตา และพักค้างแรมกัน 3 คืน 5 คืน โดยมิซาโกะไม่ได้ไปด้วย
หรือ ฉากคานาเมะปรึกษาพี่เขยในคาเฟ่ เรื่องจะหย่ากับมิซาโกะควรทำไงดี เพราะพี่เขยเคยหย่ามาก่อนแล้ว คุณพี่ของมิซาโกะก็ดูแลทั้งน้องเขย น้องสาว และลูกของทั้งคู่ดีมากค่ะ วุฒิภาวะมาเต็มมาก
จะว่าไป เรื่องนี้เล่าเรื่องการแยกทางของคู่สมรสบนหลักการและเหตุผลล้วนๆ ไม่มีเรื่องอารมณ์หรือสายตาสังคมเข้ามาเกี่ยวข้องระคายเคืองการตัดสินใจของคนคู่นี้เลยค่ะ
3. Contrast อารมณ์
ในขณะที่อ่านเรื่องราวชีวิตคู่ที่ราบเรียบ จืดชืด เนือย อึดอัด แต่สิ่งรายล้อมตัวคนคู่นี้มีสีสันแบบแพรวพราวพร่าตามาก
ไม่ว่าจะเป็นพี่เขยซื้อลูกหมาจากเมืองจีนมาฝากหลานชาย วิ่งเล่นกันในสนามหน้าบ้านสนุกสนานมีความสุข เสียงหัวเราะ ใบไม้ดอกไม้ นกร้อง เบิกบานใจมาก หรือเปิดกรุหีบผ้าละลานตากางเต็มห้อง ให้มิซาโกะเลือกเลยว่าอยากได้ชิ้นไหน
หรือกระทั่งรายละเอียดละครที่คานาเมะไปดู ก็มีสีสันและสะกดใจมากอย่างที่เขาไม่รู้สึกอย่างนั้นมาก่อน ก็ชอบถึงขั้นยอมเดินทางข้ามเมืองไปหาดูละครกับพ่อตาต่อน่ะค่ะ
แน่นอน เราชอบประวัติย่อของทานิซากิที่มีให้ตอนต้นเล่ม มันเป็นการปูพื้นทำให้เข้าใจว่าคนเขียนคิดอ่านหรือผ่านประสบการณ์อะไร ถึงทำให้เขาเขียนเรื่องนี้ออกมาแบบนี้
และเช่นเคย เราไม่ชอบโปรยปกหลัง มันชี้นำเรื่องไปผิดทางมากๆ มันเป็นการตีความเนื้อเรื่อง ซึ่งยกมาด้านเดียวจากเนื้อเรื่��งที่มีตั้งหลายด้าน
ถ้าอ่านปกหลังคงนึกว่าเล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องแนวจันดารา ซึ่งไม่ใช่เลยค่ะ มันไม่มีความอีโรติกใดๆ ทั้งสิ้นค่ะ Some prefer nettles เป็นแนวดราม่า ที่ให้ความรู้สึกเหมือน The Revolutionary Road ที่เคท วินสเล็ตเล่นคู่กับลีโอนาโด ดิคาปริโอ ค่ะ บรรยากาศนิ่งๆ อึนๆ มี Conflict อยู่ตรงชีวิตสมรสที่ไปต่อไม่ได้แล้ว อันนี้ไม่ได้พูดถึงตอนจบนะคะ แต่หมายถึงความรู้สึกระหว่างที่เรื่องดำเนินไป... สำหรับเรา มันนิ่ง หน่วง อึน แห้งแล้ง แบบเดียวกันเลยค่ะ
เป็นการอ่านที่อึดอัด แต่เล่าอีกด้านของชีวิตคู่ได้น่าสนใจดีค่ะ
ผิดคาดกับเล่มนี้ทีเดียวค่ะ
เพราะอ่าน The Key กับ Quicksand มา เราก็คาดว่าเล่มนี้ของทานิซากิมันคงจะบีบคั้น ทำร้ายคนอ่านหนักหนาสุดๆ ตามเคย แต่เปล่าเลย Some prefer nettles มันไม่ใช่งานในแนวที่เราคิด
เรื่องราวของ Some prefer nettles มี 'คานาเมะ' คุณสามีเป็นตัวเอก เขามีชีวิตสมรสที่ไม่ค่อยจะราบรื่นเท่าไร แต่... มันก็ไม่ใช่ด้วยเหตุผลเลวทรามต่ำช้า เค้าแค่มอง 'มิซาโกะ' ภรรยาของตัวเอง เป็นเหมือน 'เพื่อนมนุษย์' มากกว่าจะเห็นเธอเป็นผู้หญิง ซึ่ง...สำหรับคนเป็นภรรยา นี่คงจะเจ็บปวดมากเลย
มิซาโกะกับคานาเมะ มีรสนิยม วิธีการคิด การมองโลก ทุกอย่างคือเข้ากันได้ พูดง่ายๆ คือ ถ้าทั้งคู่ไม่แต่งงานกันทั้งคู่คงจะเป็นเพื่อนต่างเพศหรือเพื่อนคนนึงเลยที่เข้ากันได้ดีมากๆ
'หลายปีที่อยู่กินกับมิซาโกะ เขาครุ่นคิดอยู่กับปัญหาเดียว จะทิ้งเธอไปได้อย่างไร'
คานาเมะเห็นภรรยาตัวเองนอนร้องไห้ตอนกลางคืนมาหลายปี จนส่งเสริมให้เธอเริ่มคบกับชายคนใหม่ โดยเขารับรู้ความเป็นไปทุกอย่าง เขาอยากเห็นเธอมีความสุขนะ อยากเดินจากกันแบบเพื่อนที่ดี และวันนึงข้างหน้า หากจะกลับมาเจอกัน ก็จะกลับมาเจอกันอย่างมีความสุข
'เขาอยากให้สะอาดหมดจดโดยไม่ต้องเสียน้ำตา
เขาอยากได้การตัดสินใจแบบที่ความรู้สึกของเขากับภรรยาสอดคล้องกลมกลืน
ความรู้สึกแห่งการแยกทางกันเดินที่หลอมละลายกลายเป็นความพึงพอใจหนึ่งเดียว'
เป็นงานเขียนที่แปลกค่ะ เหมือนเอาชีวิตจริงของทานิซากิมาเล่าเลย คือทานิซากิเองก็ยกภรรยาตัวเองให้เพื่อนล่ะค่ะ ...มันไม่มีชิงรักหักสวาท ไม่มีวิวาทะความรุนแรงเลย มีแต่เจตนาดีๆ และความหวังดีที่มีให้กันล้วนๆ ...เรื่องนี้มันก็เลยดำเนินไปภายใต้ตรรกะแบบนั้นล่ะนะ
จุดเด่นเล่มนี้คือ
1. เดินเรื่องด้วยบทพูด
นี่ก็เป็นสไตล์ของทานิซากิล่ะนะ บทพูดเยอะและยาวมาก นึกว่าแอบอ่านหน้าคุยไลน์ของเพื่อนอยู่ มันจะมีฉากพูดแทรกและฉากที่ 4 คนคุยกัน สติสตังในการอ่านต้องแน่นมากค่ะ ต้องตามให้ทันว่าใครเป็นใคร ประโยคไหนใครพูด แทบทั้งเล่มเป็นบทพูด ดังนั้นตรงไหนเป็นบทบรรยายนี่เราจะดีใจมาก 555 เหมือนได้พักเหนื่อย
บทบรรยายแบ่งเป็น 2 ส่วน เราชอบส่วนที่เป็นความนึกคิดและการนึกย้อนของตัวละคร แต่จะมีอีกส่วนที่เล่าเรื่องศิลปวัฒนธรรม ซึ่งค่อนไปทางวิพากษ์มากกว่า อ่านแล้วไม่อินเลยค่ะ เหมือนอ่านประวัติศาสตร์ที่เราไม่รู้เรื่องอยู่
2. ความสดใหม่
อาจฟังดูแปลกที่บอกว่างานเขียนอายุ 90 ปีมีความสดใหม่ แต่มันเฟรชจริงๆ ค่ะ ทั้งคู่ความสัมพันธ์ในเรื่องและเหตุการณ์ในเรื่อง
ความสัมพันธ์ที่ว่าคือ คานาเมะสนิทกับคนฝั่งบ้านภรรยามากๆ กับพ่อตานี่คือ สนิทมากถึงขั้นไปชมละครด้วยกัน(พร้อมอีหนูคนสวยของพ่อตา) หรือกระทั่งเดินทางข้ามเมืองไปชมละครกับพ่อตา และพักค้างแรมกัน 3 คืน 5 คืน โดยมิซาโกะไม่ได้ไปด้วย
หรือ ฉากคานาเมะปรึกษาพี่เขยในคาเฟ่ เรื่องจะหย่ากับมิซาโกะควรทำไงดี เพราะพี่เขยเคยหย่ามาก่อนแล้ว คุณพี่ของมิซาโกะก็ดูแลทั้งน้องเขย น้องสาว และลูกของทั้งคู่ดีมากค่ะ วุฒิภาวะมาเต็มมาก
จะว่าไป เรื่องนี้เล่าเรื่องการแยกทางของคู่สมรสบนหลักการและเหตุผลล้วนๆ ไม่มีเรื่องอารมณ์หรือสายตาสังคมเข้ามาเกี่ยวข้องระคายเคืองการตัดสินใจของคนคู่นี้เลยค่ะ
3. Contrast อารมณ์
ในขณะที่อ่านเรื่องราวชีวิตคู่ที่ราบเรียบ จืดชืด เนือย อึดอัด แต่สิ่งรายล้อมตัวคนคู่นี้มีสีสันแบบแพรวพราวพร่าตามาก
ไม่ว่าจะเป็นพี่เขยซื้อลูกหมาจากเมืองจีนมาฝากหลานชาย วิ่งเล่นกันในสนามหน้าบ้านสนุกสนานมีความสุข เสียงหัวเราะ ใบไม้ดอกไม้ นกร้อง เบิกบานใจมาก หรือเปิดกรุหีบผ้าละลานตากางเต็มห้อง ให้มิซาโกะเลือกเลยว่าอยากได้ชิ้นไหน
หรือกระทั่งรายละเอียดละครที่คานาเมะไปดู ก็มีสีสันและสะกดใจมากอย่างที่เขาไม่รู้สึกอย่างนั้นมาก่อน ก็ชอบถึงขั้นยอมเดินทางข้ามเมืองไปหาดูละครกับพ่อตาต่อน่ะค่ะ
แน่นอน เราชอบประวัติย่อของทานิซากิที่มีให้ตอนต้นเล่ม มันเป็นการปูพื้นทำให้เข้าใจว่าคนเขียนคิดอ่านหรือผ่านประสบการณ์อะไร ถึงทำให้เขาเขียนเรื่องนี้ออกมาแบบนี้
และเช่นเคย เราไม่ชอบโปรยปกหลัง มันชี้นำเรื่องไปผิดทางมากๆ มันเป็นการตีความเนื้อเรื่อง ซึ่งยกมาด้านเดียวจากเนื้อเรื่��งที่มีตั้งหลายด้าน
ถ้าอ่านปกหลังคงนึกว่าเล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องแนวจันดารา ซึ่งไม่ใช่เลยค่ะ มันไม่มีความอีโรติกใดๆ ทั้งสิ้นค่ะ Some prefer nettles เป็นแนวดราม่า ที่ให้ความรู้สึกเหมือน The Revolutionary Road ที่เคท วินสเล็ตเล่นคู่กับลีโอนาโด ดิคาปริโอ ค่ะ บรรยากาศนิ่งๆ อึนๆ มี Conflict อยู่ตรงชีวิตสมรสที่ไปต่อไม่ได้แล้ว อันนี้ไม่ได้พูดถึงตอนจบนะคะ แต่หมายถึงความรู้สึกระหว่างที่เรื่องดำเนินไป... สำหรับเรา มันนิ่ง หน่วง อึน แห้งแล้ง แบบเดียวกันเลยค่ะ
เป็นการอ่านที่อึดอัด แต่เล่าอีกด้านของชีวิตคู่ได้น่าสนใจดีค่ะ
November 24, 2022
YETER 160. sayfada bırakıyorum okumayı son 64 sayfayı okuyamayacağım, inanılmaz sıkıldım. son 10 sayfaya bi göz attım sonu da çok kötü. Kitap tam bir Tanzimat dönemi eseri gibi; olayı bölüp nasihat verme, japon-batı kültürü karşılaştırması, aşırı detaylı kültürel ögelerden bahsetme vs bir noktadan sonra çok sıkıyor. Sabrınız varsa okuyun,,,
October 29, 2017
Un mondo fluttuante
È un romanzo sull'agonia di un amore coniugale al quale i diretti interessati non riescono a mettere la parola fine. Nello stesso tempo il libro racconta anche un'altra storia, quella di una cultura, quella giapponese, che non riesce a recidere di netto il legame, forte come un matrimonio, con la tradizione per gettarsi nella modernità. Siamo nel 1928, Kanamè e Misako, ancora giovani, sono sposati da oltre dieci anni; tra loro non vi è mai stata passione, lei ha un amante, il marito tollera e persino incoraggia il legame extraconiugale della moglie. Il suo pensiero per tutto il romanzo è quello di riuscire a divorziare, ma l’impresa è impossibile: non vuole traumatizzare il figlio e non sa come dirlo al suocero. Questi è un uomo, di poco oltre la cinquantina, che sembra uscito da una di quelle antiche stampe Ukyio-e di cui apprezzai una bella mostra una dozzina di anni fa. È amante del bunrako, il teatro tradizionale di figura giapponese e della musica antica; è un esteta che passa la sua vecchiaia accanto a una giovanissima donna, pronta sempre a servirlo e a deliziarlo con le sue devote cure: una geisha che tanto assomiglia alle bambole, alle marionette del bunrako che ricorrono per tutto il racconto. Soprattutto però i due sposi non riescono a separarsi per una ragione ben più profonda, tra loro si è instaurato un legame quasi perverso che ha trasformato il distacco e l’insofferenza reciproca in una nuova forma, seppur distorta, di intimità, qualcosa che nasconde, come cerca di far capire a Kanamè un amico, la paura che la verità che li attende dopo il divorzio sia peggiore di quella povera relazione che è rimasta ai due.
La grandezza di Tanizaki sta nel raccontare perfettamente, grazie a una scrittura lenta e dilatata, non solo la semplice storia di una relazione amorosa in stallo, ma soprattutto la difficoltà di Kanamè, e con lui di tutta la società nipponica di quel periodo, a staccarsi dalle antiche tradizioni orientali per entrare di fatto nella modernità occidentale. Kanamè ci viene presentato nelle prime pagine come amante del jazz e del cinema hollywoodiano, a cui vorrebbe ispirarsi anche per una relazione sentimentale che veda la donna al centro della passione di un uomo. Ma i “gusti sono gusti”, come recita il proverbio che dà il titolo al romanzo, e Kanamè fluttua tra il vecchio e il nuovo. Poco a poco sembra, ma Tanizaki lascia tutto in sospeso, che il protagonista si riavvicini alla cultura e all’arte tradizionali, entri in sintonia con la figura del vecchio suocero: in fondo, sentire se stesso al centro di un rapporto amoroso, accanto a una geisha muta e servizievole, ha un’attrattiva tutt’altro che trascurabile. Dice bene la Ginzburg nelle sue riflessioni sul romanzo “...la grandezza di Tanizaki è nel far risplendere, in un minimo spazio, tutta la sua terra, i crudeli e intricati rapporti che regnano fra gli esseri umani e l’intero universo.”
È un romanzo sull'agonia di un amore coniugale al quale i diretti interessati non riescono a mettere la parola fine. Nello stesso tempo il libro racconta anche un'altra storia, quella di una cultura, quella giapponese, che non riesce a recidere di netto il legame, forte come un matrimonio, con la tradizione per gettarsi nella modernità. Siamo nel 1928, Kanamè e Misako, ancora giovani, sono sposati da oltre dieci anni; tra loro non vi è mai stata passione, lei ha un amante, il marito tollera e persino incoraggia il legame extraconiugale della moglie. Il suo pensiero per tutto il romanzo è quello di riuscire a divorziare, ma l’impresa è impossibile: non vuole traumatizzare il figlio e non sa come dirlo al suocero. Questi è un uomo, di poco oltre la cinquantina, che sembra uscito da una di quelle antiche stampe Ukyio-e di cui apprezzai una bella mostra una dozzina di anni fa. È amante del bunrako, il teatro tradizionale di figura giapponese e della musica antica; è un esteta che passa la sua vecchiaia accanto a una giovanissima donna, pronta sempre a servirlo e a deliziarlo con le sue devote cure: una geisha che tanto assomiglia alle bambole, alle marionette del bunrako che ricorrono per tutto il racconto. Soprattutto però i due sposi non riescono a separarsi per una ragione ben più profonda, tra loro si è instaurato un legame quasi perverso che ha trasformato il distacco e l’insofferenza reciproca in una nuova forma, seppur distorta, di intimità, qualcosa che nasconde, come cerca di far capire a Kanamè un amico, la paura che la verità che li attende dopo il divorzio sia peggiore di quella povera relazione che è rimasta ai due.
La grandezza di Tanizaki sta nel raccontare perfettamente, grazie a una scrittura lenta e dilatata, non solo la semplice storia di una relazione amorosa in stallo, ma soprattutto la difficoltà di Kanamè, e con lui di tutta la società nipponica di quel periodo, a staccarsi dalle antiche tradizioni orientali per entrare di fatto nella modernità occidentale. Kanamè ci viene presentato nelle prime pagine come amante del jazz e del cinema hollywoodiano, a cui vorrebbe ispirarsi anche per una relazione sentimentale che veda la donna al centro della passione di un uomo. Ma i “gusti sono gusti”, come recita il proverbio che dà il titolo al romanzo, e Kanamè fluttua tra il vecchio e il nuovo. Poco a poco sembra, ma Tanizaki lascia tutto in sospeso, che il protagonista si riavvicini alla cultura e all’arte tradizionali, entri in sintonia con la figura del vecchio suocero: in fondo, sentire se stesso al centro di un rapporto amoroso, accanto a una geisha muta e servizievole, ha un’attrattiva tutt’altro che trascurabile. Dice bene la Ginzburg nelle sue riflessioni sul romanzo “...la grandezza di Tanizaki è nel far risplendere, in un minimo spazio, tutta la sua terra, i crudeli e intricati rapporti che regnano fra gli esseri umani e l’intero universo.”
January 30, 2022
En un momento clave de la novela uno de los personajes hace este speech: 'Hay quien sostiene que la «uniformidad» o la «esquematización» son en el arte signos de decadencia; pero el arte popular como —para citar un ejemplo— el de las marionetas, ¿no debe quizás su misma existencia, en último caso, a su forma definitiva e inmutable? Generación tras generación de famosos y hábiles marionetistas han dado de cada párrafo de su repertorio una representación exacta y única en sus características y en la acción, trabajando en ese sentido con tanto esmero que, siguiendo sus prescripciones, el aficionado puede subir a la tarima de los cantantes y, dentro de ciertos límites, dar una buena interpretación. Tal vez sea que el antiguo teatro, con sus esquemas fijados una vez por todas, contrariamente al teatro moderno, siempre abierto a modificaciones arbitrarias de determinados actores, es una guía, una referencia que sirve de punto de partida incluso a mujeres y niños, facilitando el aprendizaje'.
Me ha recordado a lo que le dijeron a Jeanette Winterson cuando salió del armario: '¿Por qué ser feliz cuando puedes ser normal?'. Pues eso, ¿por qué ser «moderno» cuando puedes ser una respetable marioneta de la tradición? En torno a esto pivota la novela de Tanizaki.
Me ha recordado a lo que le dijeron a Jeanette Winterson cuando salió del armario: '¿Por qué ser feliz cuando puedes ser normal?'. Pues eso, ¿por qué ser «moderno» cuando puedes ser una respetable marioneta de la tradición? En torno a esto pivota la novela de Tanizaki.
February 6, 2017
This was FINE. Everything about it was FINE. Nothing good but nothing bad either. It's just (painfully) FINE.
Ok, I will admit, I wanted to LOVE Tanizaki. However, while I have not given up on his works just yet, I am not impressed so far. He does have a very good idea on how characters should be like. The characters are definitely the highlight of this book. However, the writing style is WAY too simplistic for my taste and the story has been seen a MILLION times before, even when this book was written this story wasn't that new. Like I said, I have NOT given up on Tanizaki just yet, but this book wasn't that good. It BARELY got the three stars for its clever ending. Otherwise, it was an incredibly average novel. Honestly, even though it was alright, I wouldn't waste your time unless if you are REALLY into Japanese literature and these kinds of stories.
I am giving this one a 3 out of 5 stars.
Ok, I will admit, I wanted to LOVE Tanizaki. However, while I have not given up on his works just yet, I am not impressed so far. He does have a very good idea on how characters should be like. The characters are definitely the highlight of this book. However, the writing style is WAY too simplistic for my taste and the story has been seen a MILLION times before, even when this book was written this story wasn't that new. Like I said, I have NOT given up on Tanizaki just yet, but this book wasn't that good. It BARELY got the three stars for its clever ending. Otherwise, it was an incredibly average novel. Honestly, even though it was alright, I wouldn't waste your time unless if you are REALLY into Japanese literature and these kinds of stories.
I am giving this one a 3 out of 5 stars.
November 25, 2023
3.5 stars
I had to read this book for a course I'm taking in modern Asian history but I ended up being genuinely intrigued by the story and character dynamics. It's about a married couple in around the 1930s in Japan who are on the verge of getting a divorce but cannot seem to bring themselves to do it. In the midst of these relationship troubles, the reader gets a glimpse into the variations of Japanese life during this time: the difference between more modern ways of living seen through the couple, older ways of living as seen through the wife's father and his young partner, and even the lifestyle of those that travel and have seen many different cultures and arrive at their own conclusions. Typically in stories like these, it is easy to begrudge one or both parties for their actions and the characters are generally unlikeable. But in this case, though the flaws of each character were made quite evident, their humanity shown through more than anything else and made it easy for the reader to understand how their situation came to be and why they are finding so difficult to come to any final conclusion. The ending was not so much of an ending (which I don't love) but that was likely on purpose. Tanizaki's writing is very compelling and forces you to look at relationships and mindsets in a different light.
I had to read this book for a course I'm taking in modern Asian history but I ended up being genuinely intrigued by the story and character dynamics. It's about a married couple in around the 1930s in Japan who are on the verge of getting a divorce but cannot seem to bring themselves to do it. In the midst of these relationship troubles, the reader gets a glimpse into the variations of Japanese life during this time: the difference between more modern ways of living seen through the couple, older ways of living as seen through the wife's father and his young partner, and even the lifestyle of those that travel and have seen many different cultures and arrive at their own conclusions. Typically in stories like these, it is easy to begrudge one or both parties for their actions and the characters are generally unlikeable. But in this case, though the flaws of each character were made quite evident, their humanity shown through more than anything else and made it easy for the reader to understand how their situation came to be and why they are finding so difficult to come to any final conclusion. The ending was not so much of an ending (which I don't love) but that was likely on purpose. Tanizaki's writing is very compelling and forces you to look at relationships and mindsets in a different light.
May 20, 2021
A moving, nuanced novel about a failed marraige. Kaname respects and likes his wife Misako, but he no longer feels any sexual or romantic desire for her. Yet it's very difficult for the two amicable, indecisive people to reach the point of divorcing one another. They don't want to hurt anyone or each other. Full of poignancy and a sense of loss, the backdrop to this story, Osaka in the 1930s, is evocative and intriguing. Tanizaki explores the tensions between traditional Japanese culture and the influence of the West, particularly through Japanese puppet theatre, a dying art which comes to fascinate Kaname. Tanizaki also explores the push-and-pull of traditional Japanese romantic relationships, and the different sexual mores and expectations of the West. Kaname is torn between his affection for traditional Japanese women, and his longing for the freedom he finds with the sex-worker, Louise. There is loss everywhere in this narrative, loss of culture, tradition, cities and buildings, love, childhoods, but also a pervading sense of beauty and possibility. An uplifting, though not cheerful, book, characterised by subtlety and Tanizaki's respect for everyone he writes about.
May 1, 2019
3.5/5
From the beginning to around three quarters of the way through, I had higher than usual hopes for this work. The introduction was largely obsessed with stuffing all its supposed meaning in the last quarter, so up to that point, I was mostly free to analyze via a completely different paradigm, one which proclaimed this novel exceptionally 'modern' in the way of an unusual amount of humanization of certain demographics. However, Tanizaki's own viewpoint, as expressed in his In Praise of Shadows, came so strongly through the personage of the old patriarch character in the last section that the main character, previously so seemingly forward thinking, only appeared as such through a combination of wishy washy hedonism and advantageous passivity. The final result of all the disparate characters' hand wringing is left to the reader's deduction, but I can't help feeling disappointed with nostalgia that seems to only be able to express its aesthetic through the forcible repurposing of women, body and soul. As such, while I could go the route of concluding the strong female character won the day, that leads to too much of a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too feeling for me to fully commit. I can put up an argument for my ultra-forward thinking interpretation as I did more comfortably with Naomi, but the nonfiction too closely resembles the fiction in this case for me to feel that Tanizaki would be on my interpretive side.
Tanizaki poses some questions that are so subtle and yet so contrary to the status quo, whether 'East' or 'West', that it's not hard to understand why the average rating for this is so low. Still, these questions are of vital necessity to a world where rape culture and associated femicide is taken in stride as inevitable consequence instead of classified as unacceptable degradation of the human as civilized species. Treating women as autonomous human beings; taking marriage in stride as mature consenting adults who are willing to recognize the writing on the wall and put
one another's welfare before their pride and luxuries of convenience; communicating about safety, security, and long term stability: the world would be better off if the average relationship had an aspect of the better sides of Misako and Kaname to it. However, the morass of cultural norms of any nation that has managed to survive to this day has its seductions, and oftentimes these beguiling structures of art and beauty and domesticity are the most easily sustained by various breeds of human sacrifice, often gendered, often on the heads of women. What ends up winning in this novel is, again, unknown. As such, I may be done with Tanizaki after this fourth work of his, although the queer themes of his 'Swastika', renamed Quicksand, admittedly entice.
In terms of the four Tanizakis that I've read, this would rank near the bottom of the stack. One of my students brought up translation possibly interfering with my reception, and I'm sure that played some role in it. However, language play and prose style does not occlude the translation of the conclusion, and I've sent so much time reading translations, of which a sizable portion have been from Japanese, that I'm loathe to blow off all my reader experience without a proper fight. I'm still willing to pick up that previously named work, but that, and my reception of is, can ultimately be chalked up to political bias. However, when one is dealing with purported classics, it's best to be honest, as the passage of time is chocked enough on dehumanizing propaganda that a tad aimed in the opposite direction is rather necessary, wouldn't you say? In any case, with the finishing of this, I've run very low on the number of the classics from the 100 Must-Read Classics by People of Color that I'm interested in reading. Hopefully I'll be inclined to whimsically picking up some more in the next month, blessed as it is with an increased amount of worthwhile book sales.
From the beginning to around three quarters of the way through, I had higher than usual hopes for this work. The introduction was largely obsessed with stuffing all its supposed meaning in the last quarter, so up to that point, I was mostly free to analyze via a completely different paradigm, one which proclaimed this novel exceptionally 'modern' in the way of an unusual amount of humanization of certain demographics. However, Tanizaki's own viewpoint, as expressed in his In Praise of Shadows, came so strongly through the personage of the old patriarch character in the last section that the main character, previously so seemingly forward thinking, only appeared as such through a combination of wishy washy hedonism and advantageous passivity. The final result of all the disparate characters' hand wringing is left to the reader's deduction, but I can't help feeling disappointed with nostalgia that seems to only be able to express its aesthetic through the forcible repurposing of women, body and soul. As such, while I could go the route of concluding the strong female character won the day, that leads to too much of a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too feeling for me to fully commit. I can put up an argument for my ultra-forward thinking interpretation as I did more comfortably with Naomi, but the nonfiction too closely resembles the fiction in this case for me to feel that Tanizaki would be on my interpretive side.
Tanizaki poses some questions that are so subtle and yet so contrary to the status quo, whether 'East' or 'West', that it's not hard to understand why the average rating for this is so low. Still, these questions are of vital necessity to a world where rape culture and associated femicide is taken in stride as inevitable consequence instead of classified as unacceptable degradation of the human as civilized species. Treating women as autonomous human beings; taking marriage in stride as mature consenting adults who are willing to recognize the writing on the wall and put
one another's welfare before their pride and luxuries of convenience; communicating about safety, security, and long term stability: the world would be better off if the average relationship had an aspect of the better sides of Misako and Kaname to it. However, the morass of cultural norms of any nation that has managed to survive to this day has its seductions, and oftentimes these beguiling structures of art and beauty and domesticity are the most easily sustained by various breeds of human sacrifice, often gendered, often on the heads of women. What ends up winning in this novel is, again, unknown. As such, I may be done with Tanizaki after this fourth work of his, although the queer themes of his 'Swastika', renamed Quicksand, admittedly entice.
In terms of the four Tanizakis that I've read, this would rank near the bottom of the stack. One of my students brought up translation possibly interfering with my reception, and I'm sure that played some role in it. However, language play and prose style does not occlude the translation of the conclusion, and I've sent so much time reading translations, of which a sizable portion have been from Japanese, that I'm loathe to blow off all my reader experience without a proper fight. I'm still willing to pick up that previously named work, but that, and my reception of is, can ultimately be chalked up to political bias. However, when one is dealing with purported classics, it's best to be honest, as the passage of time is chocked enough on dehumanizing propaganda that a tad aimed in the opposite direction is rather necessary, wouldn't you say? In any case, with the finishing of this, I've run very low on the number of the classics from the 100 Must-Read Classics by People of Color that I'm interested in reading. Hopefully I'll be inclined to whimsically picking up some more in the next month, blessed as it is with an increased amount of worthwhile book sales.
That's why you have to be careful with children—some day they grow up.
January 17, 2021
A beautifully written story set in early 20th century Japan about a husband and wife who have fallen out of love but are at an impasse as they struggle with going through with the logical future of their relationship, a divorce. I steer clear of reading general fiction like family dramas but I love the allure of "cozy stories set in Japan with cherry blossoms, volcanoes in the backdrop and all" and so I keep looking for such books. So, I went ahead and read this book and loved every bit of it.
The fact that this book is translated from Japanese language is something I keep forgetting and that speaks volumes about the quality of translation by Edward G. Seindenticker. The writing was eloquent and it would not have been so had it not been so, or better, in its original form in Japanese written by Junichiro Tanizaki. All through the story I could see his vast and accurate knowledge of human nature and his understanding of our thinking patterns about things like love, relationships, responsibility, freedom and the things that influence us regarding our approach to these aspects of our lives.
I was blown away by the first chapter because Tanizaki sets up the unpleasant, uneasy atmosphere of a home where the husband and wife no longer have any feelings for each other with simple but powerful writing. With just few simple moments between the couple Kaname and Misako, we come to know the current nature of their relationship.
Particularly when, as today, she stood behind him, helping him into his kimono and straightening his collar, he became most keenly aware of what an eccentric thing their marriage was.
.
Kaname felt her hand brush against his neck two or three times, but her touch was as cool and impersonal as a barber's.
.
She perhaps knew from experience what sort of emotions the occasion would arouse in him, and, as if to ward off the possibility that she herself might be drawn into the same sentimentality, she went at her duties precisely, impersonally.
A divorce is pretty horrible experience, I would assume, no matter the things that lead up to it, however amicable a couple might be in their collective decision to separate. The author excellently portrays what the couple who have in their minds and hearts already separated might be going through and how the fact that their decision would impact the life of their young son who, even in his innocence, perceives all is not well and has a sense of foreboding about the future of his family.
The three of them would go out for their walk, each alone with his thoughts, each feigning easy, pleasant family affection. The picture was a little frightening. That his and Misako's conspiracy to deceive the world should have been allowed to include Hiroshi seemed to Kaname rather a serious crime.
The author's profound understanding of human nature and the various personality traits each of us have and how they define and influence our decisions, or lack of, was a very humbling thing to read in the context of this story. Time and again, my heart stopped a beat because the dissection of these traits hit too close to home.
He was disgusted with his own indecision, his tendency to postpone action from day to week to month until it had become clear that he would not be able to speak out until a final crisis forced him to.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this drama set in Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo at a time when the western culture, that of USA and Europe, was gaining major ground in Japan and there is real and ever present conflict in almost every aspect of life of the people in Japan that contrasts the old and the new, people seemingly preferring one over another, subtly begrudging those who choose differently. I guess this happens to any cultural clash that leads to transformation and evolution, and degradation as some might prefer to call it, of native culture. The same is the case for art as well, as the every turning wheel of time and the ever transforming world force upon the art forms and their advocates tough decisions about whether to persist with the old or to adapt to the new and what it might mean for the creator/performer and what it means for the audience.
It was not enough that something should be touching, charming, graceful; it had to have about it a certain radiance, the power to inspire veneration. One had to feel forced to one's knees before it, or lifted by it to the skies.
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It hardly seemed necessary to worry about the plot. Just to lose oneself in the movements of the puppets was enough, and the disorderliness of the audience was no hindrance. Rather the myriad noises and myriad colors combined into a brightness, a liveness, like a kaleidoscope pointed into the sun, and the eye took from them an overall harmony.
The author uses vignettes and metaphors to great effect. Here is Kaname explaining why he is waiting for spring season to talk to his son about the divorce. And the subsequent reply to this by his relative.
Kaname: That's my theory. It's still a little chilly but it's getting warmer, and before long the cherry blossoms will be out and after that the new leaves - everything to make a separation as easy as it could be.
Takanatsu: It something happens while the cherries are in bloom, you choke up when you see cherry blossoms.
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