Let Us Now Praise Famous Shadows
September 8, 2016 1:39 PM Subscribe
I just read In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. I loved it; the lament for the past combined with no desire to relinquish the future, the insight into Japanese architecture, etc.
Do you have any suggestions of books like this one? I'm interested in directly similar books, but also books that have the same feel. The books don't need to be about Japanese subjects. I do not want to read academic books that are written in a style that's designed to make the author sound smart.
I did not like The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. The writing style makes the whole thing uninteresting to me.
I'm about half way through The Book of Tea, which I like a lot better than The Eyes of the Skin, but not nearly as much as In Praise of Shadows.
I did not like The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. The writing style makes the whole thing uninteresting to me.
I'm about half way through The Book of Tea, which I like a lot better than The Eyes of the Skin, but not nearly as much as In Praise of Shadows.
Lost Japan often has a similar feel to In Praise of Shadows. It's a collection of essays. I loved it.
posted by Blitz at 2:16 PM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Blitz at 2:16 PM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Tanizaki is my favorite author. If you haven't read The Makioka Sisters, or Naomi, they may address your desire in a slightly roundabout but very satisfying way.
Also Liza Dalby has written some excellent books on the geisha lifestyle (as the only Western woman to ever become a geiko) and on Murasaki, the author of the Tale of Genji.
posted by ananci at 2:11 AM on September 9, 2016
Also Liza Dalby has written some excellent books on the geisha lifestyle (as the only Western woman to ever become a geiko) and on Murasaki, the author of the Tale of Genji.
posted by ananci at 2:11 AM on September 9, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Lorin at 1:49 PM on September 8, 2016