Collection
Genres
Status
Available
Description
'Were it not for shadows there would be no beauty.' In Praise of Shadows is an eloquent tribute to the austere beauty of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Through architecture, ceramics, theatre, food, women and even toilets, Tanizaki explains the essence of shadows and darkness, and how they are able to augment beauty. He laments the heavy electric lighting of the West and its introduction to Japan, and shows how the artificial, bright and polished aesthetic of the West contrasts unfavourably with the moody and natural light of the East. Dreamy, melancholic and mysterious, In Praise of Shadows is a haunting insight into a forgotten world.
Publication
Sedgwick Leete's Island Books 2008
ISBN
9780918172020
Pages
56
Language
Original language
Japanese
Original publication date
1933