The Reed Cutter and Captain Shigemoto's Mother : Two Novellas

Rating:
Summary: Tanizaki Is A Master of Insight Into Desire and Loss
Review: Tanizaki's later works continued to look back at a Japan which was being enveloped by the necessities and temptations of the West, militarism, and false [and conservative]myths about feudal Japan. I love Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters (I think that book is his masterpiece) but I very much like these two stories, particularly Captain Shigemoto's Mother. The story of a man trying to understand how his mother came to be lost to him is intriguing and moving. I hope the Japanese never forget Tanizaki; unfortunately, Americans barely know who he is.