In Black and White is part of that genre of Japanese novel I really should stop torturing myself with. I don't know why I cannot follow or understand the story within a story spiral when done by the early 20th century Japanese. I think I despise their characters-lazy, self absorbed, misogynistic, meandering men- just a bit too much to be able to get myself to follow the author in his perfectly set spirals.

I have a review on my blog now, and have just received news that I will be able to place a bigger review on The Asian Review of Books website.

Tanizaki's In Black and White has an Escher-like nature to its plot. Tanizaki is writing about a writer who is writing about a writer who wants to commit the perfect murder by killing a writer.

Mizuno is a feckless writer of "diabolism" who, in a last-minute rush, sends a murder story to a major magazine without proper proof-reading. He soon realises that he has mistakenly used the real name of the person that he modelled his victim, Cojima. He tries to get that fixed, but can't.

Mizuno soon envisages a situation where he is vulnerable; some third party could murder Cojima and the blame could fall upon him, as people could interpret his story as an account of his own intent. He panics and goes to great lengths to try and negate this possibility. This includes writing a second part of the story that describes this new scenario, shifting suspicion to a "shadow man". This is not easy though, as Mizuno is a slow and lazy writer and time is of the essence. A further distraction arises when he meets a gorgeous woman in the Ginza, and commences a professional relationship with her, which soaks up all of his money and time.

Tanizaki spins this complex plot effortlessly, and keeps the reader guessing all the way to the end. I found the "apology" after the ending very apt, but I suspect it might puzzle some readers. I think it is essential to read the translator's afterword, as this gives very significant background to the story (which was written in 1923) and helps explain a lot of what is going on in this baffling piece.

I've never read Tanizaki before so I've no idea about his legend status and why that is. All I know is that here he writes and hides and then writes some more and maybe lies as well; and then leaves me wondering what is really the truth, the one that is written, the one that is imagined, or the one that is hidden underneath all that and not really mentioned but comes out anyway.

I do know that there are two sides to what a person is, what a person does and what a person says, even if it is a personal narrative. So the actual difference between what is said and what is done creates two different people, two realities. Through Mizuno, Tanizaki explores this by what he does and what he writes, one creature is a liar, lazy, unfocused, the other is a planner, a doer and he is proud to show his real self. So the difference between the two sides of this person makes you doubt all, which is the truth? So in the world of Black or White we are left totally in the Grey. Masterful!

This is a strangely compelling novel about writing a novel with a clever and intriguing premise. Mizuno is a novelist writing about a murder. He bases the murder victim on someone he knows and inadvertently uses the real name instead of the fictional one in his manuscript and only realises when it’s too late to get it back from the printers. He begins to panic. What if the real man in fact happens to be murdered? Would not suspicion fall on Mizuno himself? He becomes more and more paranoid and irrational and watching his mental disintegration is one of the many pleasures of this unusual book, a book in which reality and fiction becomes blurred and the truth more and more elusive. The novel was written in 1928 and has bizarrely been ignored ever since, even in the author’s native japan. This is the first translation into English and its appearance is to be welcomed. The translator’s afterword is pretty much essential and certainly very helpful – some background knowledge is needed to really appreciate this often enigmatic novel - but it’s certainly one worth reading.

<b>I think this was masterly done. </b>

I've never read Tanizaki before so I've no idea about his legend status and why that is. All I know is that here he writes and hides and then writes some more and maybe lies as well; and then leaves me wondering what is really the truth, the one that is written, the one that is imagined, or the one that is hidden underneath all that and not really mentioned but comes out anyway.

I do know that there are two sides to what a person is, what a person does and what a person says, even if it is a personal narrative. So the actual difference between what is said and what is done creates two different people, two realities. Through Mizuno, Tanizaki explores this by what he does and what he writes, one creature is a liar, lazy, unfocused, the other is a planner, a doer and he is proud to show his real self. So the difference between the two sides of this person makes you doubt all, which is the truth? So in the world of Black or White we are left totally in the Grey.

In 1928, Tanizaki began three novels: Some Prefer Nettles (Tade kuu mushi), Quicksand (Manji) and In Black and White (Kokubyaku). Only In Black and White was completed within the year. It was originally published as a serial novel in two newspapers and, while it has been included in collected works, it hasn’t been available in Japan or in the West as an individual volume until now. I had not heard of it until I saw this new translation into English by Phyllis I. Lyons was available from Columbia University Press via NetGalley.

At its core, it is a story within a story. The main character, a writer, pens a story about the upcoming murder of another local writer. The model for the murdered writer is murdered on the day the character in the story is murdered. Obsession ensues. His main character, Mizuno, is one of the most fascinating, entirely self-absorbed, completely self-destructive jerks a reader could encounter. I never tired of him. Some of the dithering reminded me of Some Prefer Nettles. Because it is Tanizaki, there is so much more than this. In Black and White isn’t the master work that Some Prefer Nettles is, but it is fascinating in its own right for Tanizaki fans, in the same way that The Mystery of Edwin Drood is fascinating for Dickens fans.
I recommend reading the Translator’s Afterword before reading the novel. In particulary, it provides background on a public argument underlying the book – one between Tanizaki and Akutagawa Ryuonsuke over the then-career-making or -destroying Japanese literary establishment, and explains the satire that is In Black and White.

Thanks to Columbia University Press and Net Galley for furnishing an ecopy of this novel.

De Tanizaki, je n'avais lu (il y a des années) que Le goût des orties. Et je me souviens que j'avais beaucoup aimé ce roman. Voilà pourquoi ce titre avait attiré mon attention sur NetGalley.

Le livre commence par une préface de la traductrice qui explique que ce roman méconnu n'a jamais fait l'objet d'une édition indépendante et figurait uniquement dans des anthologies. D'après elle, ce roman était inconnu de la plupart des Japonais et inaccessible aux lecteurs hors du Japon. (Je ne sais pas s'il figure dans les volumes de la Pléiade consacrés à Tanizaki. En tout cas, je n'ai pas reconnu le titre.) Vient ensuite une préface de l'auteur qui décrit la difficulté d'écrire pour un journal (In Black and White est paru sous forme de feuilleton).

In Black and White est un thriller. Mizuno, écrivain, s'aperçoit qu'il a parfois utilisé le véritable nom de l'homme qui lui a servi de modèle pour la victime dans l'histoire qu'il vient de livrer à un magazine. Déjà que le nom qu'il avait choisi ressemble beaucoup à l'original et que les détails de la vie de son personnage ressemblent beaucoup à ceux du modèle... Il tente de rattraper le coup et appelle le magazine. Trop tard ! Dans son histoire, un écrivain qui lui ressemble tue un autre écrivain qu'il connaît vaguement. Mizuno s'inquiète car si son modèle venait à être assassiné dans les mêmes circonstances que son personnage, il serait certainement accusé. Il décide donc de se créer un alibi pour le jour éventuel du meurtre. Mizuno a de très gros problèmes de concentration et les choses ne se passent pas vraiment comme prévu.

Comme à chaque fois dans les romans japonais, j'ai trouvé certaines situations vraiment déconcertantes (et je me demande parfois si ce n'est pas dû à la traduction) et j'ai eu l'impression de rater quelque chose (une réplique, un mot, une réflexion ?). Mizuno est un personnage très spécial, suffisant, puéril parfois et qui estime que tout lui est dû. Il se met dans une colère noire quand il considère qu'on lui manque d'égards. Et sa paranoïa donne lieu à des situations très comiques et franchement absurdes. Il fonce tête baissée et oublie l'essentiel pour une petite victoire. J'ai trouvé le personnage spécial, oui. Comme Tanizaki qui s'excuse de la fin de son roman. Mais je ne peux pas en dire plus.

À la fin du roman se trouve une postface de la traductrice qui nous explique le contexte littéraire du roman (écrit dans les années 20) et certains choix de traduction.

Je recommande aux amateurs de littérature japonaise.

Thanks for this, it was a good read. A good character study.