Longing and Other Stories is a collection of three stories from Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, a prominent twentieth century Japanese writer. At only 148 pages, this collection is a short and breezy read that transports you to late 19th century and early 20th century Japan. Though all three stories explore the relationships between mothers and sons and the tensions of rapid modernization on a closely held culture, the stories are each distinct in genre and content.

The title story “Longing” was my favorite of the trio, an account of a young boy’s walk home at night, replete with rich descriptions of nature. Tanizaki’s writing, and the accompanying translation, is particularly poetic and dreamy in this story, with the frequent use of repeated adjectives (“long long,” “slowly slowly,” “white, white,” etc) creating a sense of rhythm and emphasis. A repeated motif throughout the story is the long row of pine trees that lines the boy’s path. In the notes from the translator at the end of the book, it is stated that the pine trees have the same double meaning in Japanese as in English (“pine” can mean “to long” in addition to referring to a specific type of tree)-- this is just one example of the cleverness and beauty of Tanizaki’s work. Reading this story felt like seeing traditional Japanese prints in motion.

The second story “Sorrows of a Heretic” follows an impoverished university student, who feels beaten down by his circumstances and unable to improvise his position.The narrator is profoundly unlikable and immoral, which is perhaps notable given that the translator notes emphasize the many autobiographical details of the story. In this manner, Tanizaki seems to exaggerate his own qualities that he deemed to be unfavorable, such as laziness, self-indulgent behavior, and apathy, as a way of engaging in self-reflection.

The final story “The Story of an Unhappy Mother” explores the theme of filial responsibility within the traditions of Confucianism, culminating in a conflict of loyalties between blood and marriage. Of the three stories, this one was the most driven by both plot and character. Though this story felt especially brief, the mother was depicted vividly with several anecdotes demonstrating the depth to which she experienced emotion, both the joys of life prior to and deep sorrow following a pivotal boating incident. This story succeeds in creating space for what is unsaid. By posing the direct conflict between a mother and spouse, Tanizaki created an unsettling moral dilemma that calls into question the cultural values we’ve each accepted as operable.

Overall, the collection was an enjoyable read that piqued my interest in reading more works by Tanizaki or other Japanese writers of his time.. As perhaps suggested by my thoughts above, the translator notes following the three stories are also not to be missed– absolutely wonderful insight that provides additional context on the stories’ histories.

Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I chanced upon Longing and Other Stories when I was browsing NetGalley and since I like Japanese culture (this might be a bit of an understatement), I decided to request this book! I’ve not read anything by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki before, so this evocative work was an interesting experience for me.

Longing and Other Stories is a collection of three stories:

Longing – This might have been the titular story, but it was also my least favourite of the three. It’s basically about a boy taking a long, strange journey home. While the story is very atmospheric, the ending is one that, I feel, negates the journey because it’s so cliched.

Sorrows of a Heretic – According to the afterword, this is a semi-autobiographical story, but the narrator-protagonist is supposed to be more unlikeable than Tanizaki actually was. I don’t really know how much exaggeration there was, but the protagonist is extremely unlikeable – he’s arrogant, lazy, financially irresponsible, and he has no sympathy for his dying sister. He’s someone who basically lives for himself.

The ending here is interesting: originally, I really disliked the final paragraph because I didn’t think it connected to the story very well and it just reminded me of the disappointing ending of Longing. But, I read in the afterword that Tanizaki actually ended up deleting that paragraph, but they translated it so you could see the author’s original intention. I definitely agree with the deletion and I think the story was stronger when it ended one paragraph earlier.

The Story of an Unhappy Mother – This was my favourite story of the three, although it features another unlikeable protagonist. This time, the narrator is a younger son who is recounting the story of his mother and how she changed from a self-centred but cheerful and charming widow to a woman filled with sorrow and who passively punishes one of her children by withholding affection. It’s a fascinating exploration of family dynamics, and I actually enjoyed the ending, which hints at the possibility of the supernatural haunting (no spoilers but I’ll say that it reminded me of the Aoi chapter in Genji).

Overall, this was an interesting trio of stories that explore the human character. I had a bit of a rough start with this book, since I wasn’t fond of the first story, but now that I’ve finished, I would be interested in reading more from Tanizaki.

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for providing the ARC!

This was the first time where I read the works of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and he did not disappoint! I don't typically read short stories, but I was moved by his profound work. I was surprised by his ability to create distinct personalities within each protagonist. It's impressive to see his works still being printed and being relevant to today.

In "Longing," I thought the images were very striking, creating a somber and scenic atmosphere. I think that had to be my favorite short story within this collection. I also thought that "Sorrows of a Heretic" was very well-written, and I loved seeing the dynamics within the main character's family. It was definitely a piece that jars people to their own thoughts. "The Story of an Unhappy Mother" was also felt complex, between the son, his mother, and his older brother. Throughout the entirety of these three short stories, we are also able to see his impressive writing technique, as well as the translators, moving from one topic seamlessly to the next.

Definitely going to read more of his writings!

I went into this book, with no knowledge of the author of these three short stories.

Each story is a tale of a mother and son, which admittedly was hard for me to connect with. But because I am trying to step outside my comfort zone I finished it.

“The Longing,” is a very dreamlike story compared to the other two. This one felt almost like poetry in how it was written. Leading the reader down the road with them in a very hyptontic sort of manner with how the story is told.

“Sorrows of the Heretic” is a very harsh and real feeling story. The son is in conflict with his family and those around them. I found the build-up of this particular story to be well-paced compared to the first story.

“The Story of an Unhappy Mother “ is a story about how after her son marries, the mother of said son goes through some changes. This was for me the hardest one to connect with.

What I really enjoyed was the afterwords from the translator. It gave me the historical context and cultural references that made the stories easier to digest. I honestly wish that it had been at the beginning of the book rather than at the end.

*Arc from NetGalley*

This is my first read by this author and to say I was surprised would be an understatement. The narration is so descriptive and vivid that you feel like you re right beside the characters, experiencing it all.

It has 3 short stories that are based around family, grief, and longing. Each one is pretty haunting. The vivid details will force you to feel all the emotions and misery the characters are feeling. I'll definitely try this author again.

As one of the most eminent Japanese writers of the 20th century, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki is renowned for his investigations of family dynamics, eroticism, and cultural identity.

Longing and Other Stories comprises of three stories from the early days of Tanizaki's career. As translators Chambers and McCarthy explain in their foreword, the stories themselves may not be his best work, but they foreshadow the themes that keep reoccurring later on. As my first foray into his writing, this and the fact that all three stories are written in different genres seemed to me to be the best starting point to approaching his work.

The stories in this collection are concerned with mother-son relationships, which I later discovered is something of a preoccupation of Tanizaki.

"Longing" is a story about a dream of a man that tells the journey of a young boy through a a ghostly nighttime landscape. The whole story is dreamlike and atmospheric and I got the feeling of volatility myself while reading it. Lots of Japanese vibes to this one.

"Sorrows of a Heretic" follows a university student (and wannabe writer) who lives in great poverty with his family in Tokyo. The young man rebels against his family, gets into all sorts of debt and squabbles with his friends, and fluctuates between feelings of apathy and vivacity all the while being surrounded by sickness and death. Told in a hyperrealist fashion, it's said to contain a lot of autobiographical elements. Apparently Tanizaki identified himself with the protagonist and his circumstances, admitting he openly drew from his own life.

"The Story of an Unhappy Mother" is a psychological investigation of an energetic and self-centered woman's abrupt transformation after an incident involving her son and daughter-in-law. Highly engaging story about a wife cum mother turned widow turned bitter mother-in-law.

I loved all three stories 100%.

Big thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars
TW: suicide, deception, grief

This is my first time reading anything by Tanizaki and I actually like his storytelling. This is a collection of three short stories and they revolve around family relationship, longing, and also loneliness. I will give brief review for each stories as they revolved around the same topics but explored different relationships very clearly in such complex ways.

1. Longing - this depicted relationship between mother and son in a sense its about a son who missed his mother. The story was told in sort of dreamlike state, poetic prose, lyrical and metaphorical sentences to convey the longing of the narrator towards his mother. Its such a beautiful piece that requires your attention to be directed to the story and to immerse yourself in the narrative as we try to understand the situation as we read. I find this one beautiful yet complex. In the end, we get why the story was written this way and I found that very enchanting.
2. Sorrows of Heretics - this is about family relationship between father and son, younger sister and elder brother and also mother and son. Shozaburo, the elder son in this story was insufferable and I found him to be really miserable but once we see he start to spiral into anxiety and depression due to his own circumstances, I start to feel pity towards him. His family wasn't well off, they lived in the back alley and he had an invalid younger sister who stayed at home unable to move and will die anytime soon. The father and son both have a strained relationship and it doesn't help that both aren't able to communicate properly with each other which makes it worse. This felt personal as I read on the afterwords and showcased deeper meaning behind the story.
3. Story of an Unhappy Mother - mother and her childrens and the daughter in law. This was written in a point of view of our narrator who retell the story that happened between his mother and his older brother and sister-in-law. It was interesting to read because we see how his mother who became afraid of death and who have a sensitive soul always felt like she needs protection and attention from her childrens. Then, something happened during a trip with her elder son and her daughter-in-law that caused her to resent him and this was vaguely mentioned but not until the end we get to know why she acted that way and it was understandable and heartbreaking. I really like this one.

Definitely will be looking forward to read more from him

3.5✨…Haunting and beautiful. These 3 stories have a melancholic and dreamy aspect to it. And the magic of the Japanese setting works wonders. If you want to pick something from the land of the the rising sun, this could be it.

this was a wonderful place to start with Jun'ichirō Tanizaki as it gives a taste into his writing style. the translation of these short stories was fluid and incorporated the romanized versions of Japanese words where there were no suitable English equivalents. my favourite story was “Longings” which had lush description of nature and philosophical self reflection moments from our main character. I look forward to picking up more of Tanizaki’s work. Thank you NetGalley and Columbia University Press for providing me with a ebook to read.

The stories in this short novel each display the themes of family dynamic as those who follow Tanizaki long writing career has come to know.

There is certain fascination in which a story can be told. Each story is complete with Tanizaki brand of narrative majesty. A certain love of the language.

One can see the changing roles of family. A child in the first story. A university student in the second story and an adult in the third and final story.
The mother figure takes center stage in all three of the stories reminding the reader that it is indeed the mother who stands at the heart of every person no matter how young or old that person becomes.

The stories in this collection beautifully touch on familial connections, primarily those between mother and son. The tensions between these familial connections mirror the socioeconomic tensions in the foreground of each short story. My personal favorite story was “Sorrows of a Heretic”, for its striking characterization and spot-on depiction of tense familial dynamics. The prose within these stories are languid and atmospheric, especially in “Longing”. All stories demonstrate the eventual fracture of the concept of filial piety, due to the older characters expecting some sense of respect from their children (and feeling angry when this respect is not given) and the children not reciprocating in a rebellious manner. Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

TW: suicide mention, death & illness

"Longing and Other Stories" is a collection of three masterfully crafted narratives focusing on themes of family (specifically the role of the son), guilt, and personal ethics. Despite their different narrative styles, all three stories have a dreamlike quality to them.

In 'Longing', the narrator sets the scene through descriptions of a moonlit walk. He's a child, lost on a country road, unsure how to find his way home. The other people he meets along his way are difficult to recognize, there is a sense of trepidation and almost danger in every interaction. I enjoyed this story, though there were two moments that were bizarrely sexual - especially for a story narrated by a child - that felt offputting (one instance where he describes playing with his nurses' nipples as a child, and another where he mentions wanting to lick a woman's feet).

The second story, 'Sorrows of a Heretic', focuses on the experiences and internal struggle of Shōzaburō, a young college student burdened by the looming death of his consumptive sister and the oppression of poverty. His unethical, often mean-spirited actions are contrasted by his more logical, remorseful internal monologue. There is a strong sense of guilt woven throughout this story.

However, no story features guilt more strongly than 'The Story of an Unhappy Mother'. It's difficult to describe this story without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that.

My only previous experience with Tanizaki's work is 'In Praise of Shadows', an aesthetic essay. This collection has piqued my interest in the rest of his work and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to any reader.

A short book that includes three 'minor' works from Tanizaki, all of them revolving around family, mother-son relationships and poverty, "Longing and Other Stories" has been a pleasant surprise for me, an old fashioned but thoroughly well written, gripping, and surprising offering from one of Japanese most famous writers.

All three stories are quite different, even if all have 'family', 'mother', 'poverty' as very important topics in their development. Because even if the main topics are the same, the style, the focus, the message, the characters are totally different. Without explaining much about them, one is a beautiful, moody, dark fantasy, a second is a naturalistic, realistic look into the mind of a selfish young man who only thinks about partying and doesn't care about friends, family or the future, and the third is about how a chance event has a profound impact in a family, and the relationships between its members. All of them are so different as to become a welcome surprise, the reader not knowing what to expect from one to the other. They can be seen as little attempts by Tanizaki to try something different, to polish his writing, but have depth, and Tanizaki does a great job in showing the inner world of his characters.

The translation is beautifully done and brings the world of the era, the world of Tanizaki, to an English reading person with an intensity and energy that is deeply appreciated. I had read Tanizaki before, including "Naomi" and "The Makioka Sisters", so more or less I thought I knew what I was going to find here. But I have to say that it pleasantly surprised me.

At the end there is also an interesting, even if a little superficial, analysis of the three works.

4 stars

I am extremely grateful to Columbia University Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review.

This is my story collection from Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, and while I found his writing very nice in the first one, this collection was a much better experience for me. I really enjoyed these stories. The writing (and of course the translation) was beautiful, emotional, and atmospheric.

The three stories were completely different in genre, perspective, and tone. The characters were all very distinct, and through their perspectives give us insight into many aspects of Japanese culture. I loved that we have a speculative story in this collection which was beautifully rendered, and two contemporary stories that were both compelling.

The first story had a very dreamlike quality, with imagery that makes the emotions jump off the page. The second story was completely different and featured an unlikeable main character, showing how he exists within his circumstances with an aura of hopelessness and resentment. The final story really pulls together what these stories are about; family. The main character is a conflicted perspective. He is constantly contemplating his familial relationships, his place in his family and culture. This collection really focuses on filial relationships within Japanese culture and how these can sometimes go hand in hand with frustration, loss, and grief.

I am so happy that these works are being translated, allowing us to discover them for the first time. I would recommend this to anyone as a nice taste of Japanese literature and cultural stories.

Tried to explain my thoughts on this book on my Instagram account but to sum it up: I liked it. I liked the way the stories were ordered and how each was more ominous than the previous one.

I enjoyed the writing and the stories themselves, the heavy, sometimes resentful atmosphere created by the weird, complicated situations present in said stories but overall the book isn't particularly memorable.

Three quite early short stories from the master of Japanese literature, which give a really strong indication of the central themes that came to dominate his work: narrative and the structure of a story, and the importance of family and the (often) strained relationships therein. 'Longing' has a distinctly eerie, ghostly feel to it; 'Sorrows of a Heretic' may or may not be a thinly veiled semi-autobiographical tale of a vain, selfish and really quite unlikeable aspiring writer and his disgust at his family's poverty; 'The Story of an Unhappy Mother' explores the worsening relationship between a mother, her son and his wife, with shocking consequences.

This is a fascinating and important insight into the development of Tanizaki as a writer, and it also works as wonderful illustration of a country and a culture facing massive changes at the start of the 20th century, as Japan wrestles with holding on to its historical identity whilst opening up to Western influences.

Overall, this is a worthy and excellently translated collection which should take a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested not only in Japanese literature, but in the development of an artist and writer. A very strong 4 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

This collection of stories was a nice introduction into Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's work. It features three short stories that focus on dysfunctional family relationships, particularly mother and son relationships.
They all deal with themes of moral values, insecurity and yearning. What surprised me the most was how distinctive the writing style in each story was. The writing is beautiful and it manages to evoke feelings of melancholy and despair. I like how flawed and unlikable some of the characters in this short story collection are, it makes for an interesting read.
As with all short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. My personal favourite was "The story of an Unhappy Mother".
Overall, I enjoyed this collection of stories and found them to be a very haunting and emotional read.
The translations are beautiful and I truly appreciated the translator's afterword. It gives you more insight into the author's life, cultural references, and it provides you with a deeper understanding of the three stories featured in this collection.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Columbia University Press for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Junichiro Tanizaki has a formidable reputation in Japanese literature, so I've been meaning to read more of his work but this collection is only my second foray in (after "Devils in Daylight"). Luckily for me the three stories collected here are also from quite early in Tanizaki's career (the latest is from 1921, when he was 35 years old), which makes it a pretty good place to start.

The collection's first story, "Longing," is dreamlike, full of eerie and skillful imagery, and defies simple plot summarization. The simplest way to do so would rob the story of its emotional punchline, so I will restrict myself to saying to enjoy the ride.

The second, "Sorrows of a Heretic," was honestly kind of a drag to read for most of its length. It centers around a ne'er-do-well son in a family whose fortunes have fallen, with a dying sister and shoddy relationships with all members of the family. The main character is such a pain in the ass (he's stubborn, immature, and just the kind of immoral where he recognizes his immorality just enough to constantly complain about it but make excuses to never reform himself). The story's saving grace for me was a line in the (excellent) translator's afterword that compared it to Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground, which helped the character click into place for me. He lacks the charm of an Ignatius J. Reilly or an Underground Man (at least to me as the reader; he's described as being great fun in person to his in-story friends), but the story is plying the same waters, and I belatedly was able to overcome the "unlikeable character, written well" barrier.

The third story, "The Story of an Unhappy Mother," was the weakest for me, probably because it hinges on a revelation that I didn't find nearly as shocking as it seems meant to be (and surely was, in its original cultural context). But it's quick, and certainly most exemplifies the "dynamics of mother-son relationships" that the promotional text on the book goes on about (somewhat erroneously, in my view).

I do want to take the time to specifically praise the translator's afterword, here. I imagine that anyone reading this book already has decent knowledge of Japanese history, so some of the cultural context will be somewhat apparent, i.e. the tension between traditional Japanese culture and Western imports, but there are always details that can be helpful for orienting oneself in any 100-year-old+ literature, not to mention literature in translation, and the information about Tanizaki's personal life at the time he was writing these stories was extremely useful in contextualizing them, and added some emotional depth to my understanding of them in retrospect. A standout job by the translators.

Thank you Netgalley and Columbia University Press for an eARC for an honest review.

Longing and Other Stories by Junichiro Tanizaki, is translated by Anthony H.Chambers and Paul McCarthy, is a collection of three longish short stories by Tanizaki written in the first decade of his career.

This is a collection of three stories set in the early 20th century, giving you a deep insight into the time and life of the people during the time period.

The story shows the choices that these characters make has consequences, and how each of these characters either face them and ultimately overcome them in their own way.

Longing and Other Stories by Junichiro Tanizaki, translated from the Japanese by Anthony H.Chambers and Paul McCarthy, is a collection of three longish short stories by Tanizaki written in the first decade of his career.
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Longing is a story of a little boy in search of his mother, replete with vivid and eerie visuals of the night landscape as the child walks along the shadows cast by the pine trees, the smell of the ocean and the two women he encounters on the way. A lyrical and fantastical story with an ending you don't see coming.
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Sorrows of a Heretic is about the complex relationship a university student shares with his parents and his terminaly ill sister. He is bogged down by poverty and his family's circumstances, pulled between the old Japanese and the new modern era cultural conflicts and constantly battling his moral ambiguity. A very realistic depiction of the familial ties where the ending is also yet another beginning in the protagonist's journey of life.
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The Story of an Unhappy Mother is a dramatic narration of an adult son and mother's relationship taking a hit with the daughter-in-law coming into their lives. What transpires for the relationship to reach the dead end and the emotional and the moral tussle of the son battling the familial hierarchy of the Japanese culture as against his own thoughts forms the crux of this story.
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The three stories are essentially about family life, particularly about the changing mother son relationships at different stages of the son's lives. Common themes yet all three stories are so different in their tone, structure and genre only exemplifying the mastery of Tanizaki's writing and keen observation of the family life. The first two stories are said to be in large parts autobiographical and hence one can see the depth of emotions and character study in them. The stories, all of them rather melancholic and grim leave you thoughtful.
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The translators' afterword is an extensive note and very informative one at that, giving you a detailed context to the stories as well as Tanizaki's writing over the years. It's a section that I thoroughly enjoyed reading as much as I did the book.
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Thank you #netgalley and #columbiauniversitypress for the eARC of the book. If you are a Tanizaki fan then this is a good collection of his early works to dive into.