Publication
Vintage Classics (2000), 192 p.
Original publication date
1961 (original Japanese)
1965 (English: Hibbett)
Collections
Genres
Description
Diary of a Mad Old Man is the journal of Utsugi, a seventy-seven-year-old man of refined tastes who is recovering from a stroke. He discovers that, while his body is decaying, his libido still rages on -- unwittingly sparked by the gentle, kindly attentions of his daughter-in-law Satsuko, a chic, flashy dancer with a shady past. Pitiful and ridiculous as he is, Utsugi is without a trace of self-pity, and his diary shines with self-effacing good humor. At once hilarious and of a sadness, Diary of a Mad Old Man is a brilliant depiction of the relationship between eros and the will to live -- a novel of the tragicomedy of human existence. Translated from the Japanese by Howard Hibbett
User reviews
LibraryThing member laze
A story about "Diary of a Mad Old Man" — 2 years ago
WORTH CONSUMING!
An old man’s sexual urges go into hyperdrive after his stroke. The object of his lust is his daughter-in-law. While he can’t very well restrain his lust, you can’t help but feel he’s more than just a dirty, old
Tanizaki first caught my attention with In Praise of Shadows. This is my first experience with his fiction and I’m definitely encouraged to explore his work more deeply.
WORTH CONSUMING!
An old man’s sexual urges go into hyperdrive after his stroke. The object of his lust is his daughter-in-law. While he can’t very well restrain his lust, you can’t help but feel he’s more than just a dirty, old
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man.Tanizaki first caught my attention with In Praise of Shadows. This is my first experience with his fiction and I’m definitely encouraged to explore his work more deeply.
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LibraryThing member Niecierpek
It is a diary of a man who is seventy-seven years old and quickly failing in health. Each entry details the ailments and treatments he has to endure every day. Yet, even though his body is giving up quickly, he finds his sexual desires do not diminish at all. His passions are fueled by the
What I find very interesting in it all, is the fact that it must have had autobiographical elements at least in the descriptions of aging, because Tanizaki wrote it four years before his own death when he himself was an old man.
Not that it came as a surprise to me, but the book shows a very patriarchal society where women generally have no power, or authority, unless through cunning, or through the fulfillment of man’s sexual desires. It’s the geisha type of woman who fuels the old man’s lust and manipulates him as she pleases.
The book feels very modern, mostly thanks to the witty narration style.
I strongly recommend this book.
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behaviour of his daughter-in-law who shamelessly flirts with him, and takes advantage of his sexual fantasies. What I find very interesting in it all, is the fact that it must have had autobiographical elements at least in the descriptions of aging, because Tanizaki wrote it four years before his own death when he himself was an old man.
Not that it came as a surprise to me, but the book shows a very patriarchal society where women generally have no power, or authority, unless through cunning, or through the fulfillment of man’s sexual desires. It’s the geisha type of woman who fuels the old man’s lust and manipulates him as she pleases.
The book feels very modern, mostly thanks to the witty narration style.
I strongly recommend this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member roblong
Entertaining and quite touching, without ever really taking off. I couldn't help but wish he had been, you know, madder.
LibraryThing member poetontheone
This work shares a common theme with the majority of Tanizaki's other fictions: obsession (particularly with an erotic bent). Unlike earlier works, this volume forgoes rampant tensity in favor of quiet reflection on aging and death. Appropriate, since Tanizaki was himself seventy five when he wrote
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this novel. A thoughtful, gloomy, and amusing exit of a deft pen. Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
Very vivid description of the experience of old age
LibraryThing member roulette.russe
Written in the form of a diary, this novel explores the mental and physical deterioration of a 77 year old man and his growing sexual obsession over his beautiful but rude, money-loving, husband-cheating daughter-in-law.
One of the major interest while reading this book was to try to get a glimpse
A short read, nothing out of the ordinary, but interestingly written.
One of the major interest while reading this book was to try to get a glimpse
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of the daughter-in-law's --called Satsuko-- real opinion of all that is going on: is she really "cooperating" with the old man in order to receive money from him, like he thinks, or does she really feel obligated towards him, as a member of the family, as the last dozens of page subtly suggest?A short read, nothing out of the ordinary, but interestingly written.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's short and very interesting. Basically, it's the diary of a declining, aging man. In this story he is seventy-seven years old, and his health since having suffered a stroke precludes him from doing much. However, he does enjoy writing in his diary. He must
I love this author's writing and, after finishing this book, quickly went out and bought another book by this same author.
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keep his diary secret as he is obsessed with love for his daughter-in-law Satsuko. He is always trying to entice her to be near him and to care for him away from the prying eyes of others. How this plays out makes for a bittersweet read. I love this author's writing and, after finishing this book, quickly went out and bought another book by this same author.
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LibraryThing member Steve38
What a strange and amusing little book. An old man keeps a diary describing in detail both his various ailments and medications and his infatuation with his daughter in law. The matter of fact way in which he prepares for his burial contrasts with his obsessive and devious scheming to be buried
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under a carved image of of his daughter in law. Knowing relatives and medical practitioners of all sorts humour him along the way. Show Less
Media reviews
Saturday Review
Tanizaki was a pro, and he was never more so than in this lean, taut book ... excellently put into English.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0099285193 / 9780099285199
Physical description
192 p.; 7.8 inches
Pages
192