A Cat, a Man, and Two Women

Marc Notes: Includes the English translation of the novella published as: Neko to Shozo to futari no onna;also includes two translated stories, The Little Kingdom originally published in the magazine, Chugai in 1918 as: Chiisana okoku;and, Part I of Professor Rado'' originally published in Kaizo in 1925 as: Rado sensei;with Part II originally published in Shincho in 1928 as: Zoku Rado sensei. Publisher Marketing: The three pieces in this collection the novella A Cat, A Man, and Two Women and two shorter pieces The Little Kingdom and Professor Rado are lighthearted and entertaining variations on one of Tanizaki s favorite preoccupations: dominance and submission in relationships, complicated even further here by customs, public opinion, and comic grotesqueries. In the title piece, the bumbling Shozo is caught in the middle of an ongoing struggle between his ex-wife and her younger successor. Shozo would prefer to stay out of it and be peacefully left alone with his elegant tortoiseshell cat Lily, but he keeps getting dragged back into the battles and arguments. The result is an oddball love triangle centered around Lily, the only true object of Shozo s affections one of the finest pieces of literature concerning cats ever written (Choice)." Contributor Bio:  Tanizaki, Junichiro Junichiro Tanizakiwas born in Tokyo in 1886. He was the outstanding Japanese novelist of the century (Edmund White, New York Times Book Review). His numerous works include The Makioka Sisters, Some Prefer Nettles and In Praise of Shadows. Winner of the Japan U. S. Friendship Commission Prize for this translation, Contributor Bio:  McCarthy, Paul Mark Allen, London South Bank UniversityPaul McCarthy, Glasgow Caledonian University