Tade ku mushi [Some Prefer Nettles].

£2,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

A later, illustrated edition of Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s most autobiographical novel, originally serialised in the Osaka Mainichi newspaper between 1928 and 1929 and first published in the same year by Kaizosha. Author’s signature in calligraphic pen and hanko stamp. The novel centres around a couple in a passionless marriage; the wife, with the husband’s blessing, takes on a lover, while the husband grows increasingly infatuated with the world of bunraku, a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre. Tanizaki faced near-identical circumstances in his personal life while married to his first wife Chiyo. The novel grapples with themes of inner conflict often found in his work, such as nostalgia towards Japan’s traditions versus the challenges posed by increasing Western influence. The intricacies of lust and love, too, are strongly present. Rare. Only one copy in OCLC

• Year: 1955

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