In Praise of Shadows
陰翳礼讃
£9.99 per item
An essay on time-honoured Japanese aesthetics by novelist Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.
This book is an essay on time-honoured Japanese aesthetics, written in the context of Japan’s rapid modernization in the 20th century and explored through the themes of light and darkness. Tanizaki Jun’ichirō reflects on a range of subjects, from architecture to Noh theatre. He examines the design and atmosphere of inhabited spaces, including intimate settings such as toilets and ideas of cleanliness. His detailed observations of material surfaces, such as the richness of lacquerware observed under candlelight, convey his appreciation for shadows and offer insight into the depth that darkness and impermanence bring.
Tanizaki Jun’ichirō is regarded as one of the most prominent novelists in modern Japanese literature of the 20th century. Born in Tokyo in 1886, where he lived until the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, after which he relocated to Kyoto and Osaka and became deeply immersed in the historical aspects of Japan’s cultural heritage. His writing often explores themes of cultural identity and the tension between past and present.
His most notable works include Some Prefer Nettles (1929), The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi (1935), and The Makioka Sisters (1948). In 1949, he received the Imperial Award for Cultural Merit, and in 1965 became the first Japanese writer to be named an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Size : 12.45 x 0.64 x 19.79 cm
