Longing and Other Stories features three short stories by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, focusing on the relationships between mother and son.

In the first story, "Longing“, a child is lost looking for his mother in the wilderness. This story was my favorite. It used very descriptive language and felt very mystical.

The second story, "Sorrows of a Heretic,” surrounds a university student living in poverty with his dysfunctional family. This story was my least favorite as I struggled to connect with the protagonist; he was very unlikeable!

The third story, "The Story of an Unhappy Mother,” describes a disintegrating relationship between a mother and son. I loved how the plot unfolded to reveal secrets as to the real reason for the mother’s melancholy.

Overall I enjoyed all three stories and found them to be a very compelling and emotional read. I recommend reading the translator's afterword as it provides deeper insights into all three stories.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Columbia University Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had very high hopes for Longing And Other Stories as I've wanted to delve into Jun'ichirō Tanizaki for quite some time now, and I was not disappointed. Each story brought its own kind of heartbreak and pain, a longing for something just out of reach. I found the translations to be faultless and evocative of what the intended message of the original brought through. While I did find myself struggling to connect with the protagonist in Sorrows Of A Heretic, the overarching themes of family and loss made for a heartwrenching read. I found the translator's afterword to be incredibly helpful, allowing the reader to gain context of the works. Overall, I'd seek out other works by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki without a moment of hesitation.

Longing and Other Stories collects three stories by the Japanese writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965). I've been meaning to read Tanizaki's most famous novel, The Makioka Sisters, for some time, but Longing and Other Stories is much shorter and seemed more accessible, so I began with it instead. The three stories have themes in common—all deal with family relationships, particularly between mother and son, and all touch on the tension between Japanese and Western cultures. Yet each story is written in a distinctive style. "Longing" is a surreal recollection of a childhood dream, "Sorrows of a Heretic" a cynical, realist depiction of a dysfunctional, downwardly-mobile family, and "The Story of an Unhappy Mother" a haunting, dramatic portrait of the unraveling of the relationship between a mother and son. "The Story of an Unhappy Mother," the last story, was my favorite of the three, but I enjoyed all of them. I also appreciated the afterword by the translators, which added cultural and critical context to the stories. I definitely want to read more of Tanizaki's work in the future!

In <i>Longing</i> the narrator reminisces of their earlier life, a seemingly simpler times but deeply influential on the young man as he narrates. Longing is for home, for warmth, for belonging and he wants it all from one person. Longing is a simple story of a young boy's longing and its also a study in the encompassing feeling of <i>longing</i> in itself; to see reflection of lost affection in a stranger's face, or in an animate object like moon and gentleness of moon beams, it is both a story and en emotional outage. <i>Longing</i> is a dream, and the object of the dream is long gone.

There is much to dislike about <i>Sorrows of a heretic</i>, with the unlikable protagonist, the heretic, and the life he pursues. There is less sorrow and much selfishness, there is more self-awareness and less regret on the condescension of his behavior; it is perhaps somewhere in the middle, his character evolves as the story ends. Is being self aware of the boundaries and of lack of morality of ones own life choices enough for a purposeful life? the underlying question meditates by exposing his behavior in various situation as he cheats and parties his way out of situations without care for anyone but himself. But the author subtly nudges - is he caring for himself? is that selfish part of him in action? Realistic in its approach, the dysfunctional family including the protagonist appears to be out of touch with reality or seem to be so.

<i>The story of an unhappy mother</i> is an interesting contrast to the previous story. A family that is superficially perfect struggles with the matriarch's bouts of melancholy and the odds she is with, with her eldest son. A secret, a new daughter-in-law, and a death, brings the story to its head and leaves the reader, well, underwhelmed.

The three stories have families as their central themes especially moral obligations towards mother, father, parents and filial duties. The author explores the change in relationships between parents and their children as they grown up and forge their own new relationships which can sometime clash with the parental ones. This is my first time reading Tanizaki-san and this was a great experience.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Columbia University Press for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. </i>

This was my first book by the Junichiro Tanizaki, one of the great Japanese authors of the 20th century. I thought a collection of three short stories could be a good place to start, especially given they explore themes Tanizaki would go on to develop in his future work. And it was.

First story: 2,5 stars
Second: 4 stars
Third: 4 stars
Average: 3,5 rounded up to 4.

The first story is much more dreamlike than the other two, a child wandering around in a strange landscape looking for his mother - I did not connect at all and was ready to give up.

The second story is very realistic, about a pretty horrible student mistreating his family and fellow students. Very well build-up.

The third story is about an unhappy mother who changes after her eldest son marries. Also a very intriguing read.

As often with classical authors, the afterword by the translator is real added value. It places the stories in the historical context (e.g. Meiji period) and highlights the cultural references (e.g. honouring Confucian principles) hidden in the text. I am sure that the better one is versed in Japanese history and culture the more they will enjoy this collection. But even for a complete layman as myself it was interesting.

Longing and Other Stories is my first time reading Tanizaki, and on the basis of this short story collection, I would definitely like to read some of his novels in the future. All three stories had something interesting to offer, not least in their varied styles, taking us from romantic, fantasy-tinged lyricism to gritty realism and then to a kind of morality tale that assessed changing family values due to the advent of Westernisation. Although I enjoyed all three stories, I think the first, 'Longing', was my favourite, as I loved its beautiful descriptive language and the wonderful atmosphere Tanizaki created. If you are a fan of early 20th century Japanese literature, I can highly recommend giving these stories a read. This book gets 5 stars from me.