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In Praise of Shadows (Vintage classics)
 
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In Praise of Shadows (Vintage classics) (Paperback)

by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
Price: £5.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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In Praise of Shadows (Vintage classics) + The Poetics of Space + The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses
Price For All Three: £33.57

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Product details

  • Paperback: 80 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (3 May 2001)
  • ISBN-10: 0099283573
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099283577
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13.2 x 0.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,858 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > T > Tanizaki, Junichiro
    #1 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy > Topics > Aesthetics
    #21 in  Books > Study Books > Undergraduate & Postgraduate > Arts & Humanities > Philosophy

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Product Description

Product Description
This is an essay on aesthetics by one of the greatest Japanese novelists. The text ranges over architecture, jade, food, toilets, and combines an acute sense of the use of space in buildings, as well as perfect descriptions of lacquerware under candlelight and women in the darkness of the house of pleasure. The essay forms a classic description of the collision between the shadows of traditional Japanese interiors and the dazzling light of the modern age.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

In Praise of Shadows (Vintage classics)
78% buy the item featured on this page:
In Praise of Shadows (Vintage classics) 4.5 out of 5 stars (10)
£5.49
The Poetics of Space
8% buy
The Poetics of Space 4.4 out of 5 stars (8)
£11.99
Invisible Cities (Vintage Classics)
8% buy
Invisible Cities (Vintage Classics) 4.0 out of 5 stars (12)
£4.79
The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses
3% buy
The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£16.09
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating and Brilliant, 21 April 2004
Recommended for anyone studying architecture, design, sculpture or art,but I've been giving it out as a general gift for years. Not a novel, butan elegant short essay regarding space, shadow, and light. Veryenlightening (pardon the pun) and will make you think about the space youoccupy in a new way, and may even encourage you not to switch the light sooften....charming and brilliant.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Learning without realising you're learning!, 20 April 2005
This was a very erudite, neat essay. It taught me a lot about the world we live in, and how we live. It was a history lesson too, but surprisingly modern in its approach and the subjects it dealt with. If you want to know about Japan and Japanese design, its houses and its philosophy, this book will provide you with many interesting insights.
Written by a novelist, it is lyrical and poetic too, so you don't have to feel you're making a huge effort to sit down and read some non-fiction!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars shadowy, 5 Mar 2009
I came across Junichiro through seeing 'Shunkin' at the Barbican (Bite2009) and wanting to know more as I loved the delicacy of the play, and am disappointed that I can't seem to locate a copy of 'Portrait of Shunkin'. I enjoyed 'In praise of shadows', although it is quite slight; I can appreciate that it is an artist's view of ancient and modern Japan, which fascinates me, but there are parts of it that made me very uncomfortable, sounding quite self hating and racist. I wondered how close the translation was, always a question with translations, it just seemed blunt and awkward when describing Japanese racial characteristics.I think maybe that a more sensitive translation would have softened this down perhaps, as it seems quite offensive when Japanese skin colour is discussed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars rev
the order arrived in very good condition, although later than expected. when i contacted them regarding this i was well treated
Published 3 months ago by ONA

5.0 out of 5 stars ...and it's not just for designers
Some reviewers were troubled by parts of the essay that are "weird" or politically incorrect. However, this work is a preservation of a disappearing era, and succeeds in... Read more
Published 5 months ago by RI

4.0 out of 5 stars Embrace the dark side!
This book has a foreword from someone at UCLA's School of Architecture - so perhaps that is a clue to where it is aimed. Read more
Published on 11 Jul 2007 by stevieby

5.0 out of 5 stars A poetic resume and down to earth approach to architecture
This is a wonderful account of the personal experience of the author with the interior architecture and the pleasure that the emplacement of objects and the light that they catch... Read more
Published on 6 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars FOR THOSE WHO PPRECIATE SHADOWS
FOR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES SHADOWS. THIS BOOK IS SENSITIVE IN NATURE, MANY FEELINGS & TEXTURES. IT WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL
Published on 1 Feb 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Rationale of the Senses
I found this book originally 4 years ago for $1 in a discount bin at a tiny, cheesy bookstore in a mall. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but limited.
A fascinating small work which underscores a key point about Japanese and western aesthetics. But it has distincly wierd undertones and comes across as a reactionary pleading a... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 1998

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