Scan barcode
A review by apoorvasr
The Gourmet Club by Jun'ichirÅ Tanizaki
4.0
The Gourmet Club by Junichiro Tanizaki, translated from the Japanese by Paul McCarthy and Anthony H Chambers.
A wild macabre ride of a book. You do not enter with any expectations. You only leave with ridicule and a crazy look in your eyes. Tanizaki is a mad genius especially for writing this piece in such an era in Japan. Almost felt like I was reading pulp fiction or watching a tastefully made Tarantino movie.
The story is a crockpot of imagination bordering on the gruesome and dark followed by mysticism.
In the first story - The Children- kids try to invent games to play but end up bullying each other. at points, it's almost treading on the dark webs of sado-masochism.
Second, is the Secret- a maze of thoughts and undiscovered beauty, joy of playing mind games. It packs so much content..
The description of these stories without giving spoilers is hard.
The Two Acolytes- A story of faith and hope distracted by worldly desires of lust and greed. All these stories have an otherworldly element embedded.. An easter egg..
Next- the title story being the Gourmet Club- A Gastronomical club falling prey to mundane and redundant flavors. Only before discovering a palace of food. A utopia for the connoisseurs
a craft guarded by secret and exclusivity .. the methods of cooking will change flavor forever.. All six senses will now taste food..
Next is Mr.Bluemond- Tanizaki digs deep and takes you to the basest of human emotions.. the worst of them and then makes you feel the full force of it.. there's no turning back now..
Skin-deep love or the love for the soul , you ask?
I have never read anything like this..
Finally, the last story being Manganese Oxide dreams- is left to the readers interpretations combining themes of floating feces and a murder story
A wild macabre ride of a book. You do not enter with any expectations. You only leave with ridicule and a crazy look in your eyes. Tanizaki is a mad genius especially for writing this piece in such an era in Japan. Almost felt like I was reading pulp fiction or watching a tastefully made Tarantino movie.
The story is a crockpot of imagination bordering on the gruesome and dark followed by mysticism.
In the first story - The Children- kids try to invent games to play but end up bullying each other. at points, it's almost treading on the dark webs of sado-masochism.
Second, is the Secret- a maze of thoughts and undiscovered beauty, joy of playing mind games. It packs so much content..
The description of these stories without giving spoilers is hard.
The Two Acolytes- A story of faith and hope distracted by worldly desires of lust and greed. All these stories have an otherworldly element embedded.. An easter egg..
Next- the title story being the Gourmet Club- A Gastronomical club falling prey to mundane and redundant flavors. Only before discovering a palace of food. A utopia for the connoisseurs
a craft guarded by secret and exclusivity .. the methods of cooking will change flavor forever.. All six senses will now taste food..
Next is Mr.Bluemond- Tanizaki digs deep and takes you to the basest of human emotions.. the worst of them and then makes you feel the full force of it.. there's no turning back now..
Skin-deep love or the love for the soul , you ask?
I have never read anything like this..
Finally, the last story being Manganese Oxide dreams- is left to the readers interpretations combining themes of floating feces and a murder story