Abstract

Beauty and Sadness Now

This article presents information on the author Junichiro Tanizaki and his books. Some of the books included in the article are; "Quicksand," "The Reed Cutter" and "Captain Shigemoto's Mother." He was willful in personal life, although always observant and often amused about what he saw in his complicated mating habits. As Japan's imperialism intensified during the 1930's, Tanizaki had ambivalent feelings toward tradition and nationalism. "Quicksand" is the long confession of a housewife who has just survived a triple love suicide with her husband and her same-sex lover. "The Reed Cutter," written during his "traditionalist" period, is perhaps his most brilliant formal experiment; and "Captain Shigemoto's Mother" is a loose collage novella based on numerous classic sources.