In In Praise of Shadows, Tanizaki finds himself confronted with an aesthetic and functional dilemma: determined to build a traditional Japanese house, he soon discovers that technological advances brought from the West -- such as heating, telephones, and electric lighting -- completely destroy Japanese harmony with their harsh glare. But these inventions are not confined to private spaces; they have invaded restaurants, hotels, and public streets to the point where doing without their conveniences seems impractical in modern life. However, having been invented in the West, where light has always been beauty's ally, they have failed to adapt to Japan's way of life, which for centuries has cultivated a taste for shadow.

In this brilliant essay, essential for understanding Japanese thought, Tanizaki develops with great refinement the contrast between two worlds: traditional Japan, which values subtlety and concealment, and dazzling modernity, blind to the mysteries of darkness. In its pages, Tanizaki explores how shadows -- in architecture, design, art, and daily life -- are an essential source of beauty in Japanese culture. The half-light that in the West is often perceived as negative or sinister, even dirty, is here celebrated as the space where the deepest aspects of human experience are revealed. We thus gain access to the beauty of a candle's flickering light, the color of aged papers, the patina covering worn objects, and the almost tangible shadow in the interior of Japanese buildings where barely a ray of light manages to enter.

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• Nonfiction

• Publication Date: January 15, 2026
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 65 Pages
• File Size: 708 KB