Irony is too mild a word to describe the twists, surprises, and reversals which bring this book so alive that it feels as if it was written by a contemporary author. The characters, each of whom is beautifully delineated and brought to life, not only feel real but reflect the universal concerns of all people, regardless of class or culture. Originally published in 1935-36, the book is as witty, relevant – and, in places, even darkly humorous – as any recent book I can think of, and the novella, which gives the book its title, and the two stories, with all the imagery they conjure up, constantly reinforce the impression that the author is smirking in the background as we read. Though readers often characterize Japanese literary fiction as being restrained and refined, Junichiro Tanizaki’s exuberance bursts those bounds and challenges stereotypes, both in tone and in subject matter.In these three stories, Tanizaki focuses on ordinary people, not aristocrats, trying to get by, a focus which allows the author to use colloquial language and write about earthy and sometimes inelegant subjects. “A Cat, A Man, and Two Women,” the main selection, features Shozo, a man who has little idea of who he is, no insights at all into the thinking of his family members, and even less ambition, a man manipulated by his mother, his first wife Shinako, and his second wife Fukuku. Each night he feeds Lily mackerel freshly prepared and marinated by his new wife, who doesn’t realize, at first, that she is actually preparing them for her husband’s cat. The machinations of all the people involved in this story and the full weakness of Shozo soon become more obvious. The conclusion guarantees that everyone who reads this will conclude, if they already don’t know this from their own experience, that “Cats rule.” “The Little Kingdom,” tells of Kaijima Shokichi, a thirty-six year-old primary school teacher who has never attained his goals. Unable to cope with pressures of daily life in the city, and with his seventh child on the way, he moves to the countryside where he teaches fifth grade. A new student’s arrival begins the action. Numakura Shokichi soon takes over the playground, and eventually becomes king of the playground. Soon even Kaijima must take note. “Professor Rado,” the most bizarre and absurd of the stories, is also the kinkiest. A reporter arrives at Professor Rado’s house for an open-ended interview. When Rado appears, he wears filthy clothing, his eyes are puffy, his flesh is swollen, and he constantly belches. When the professor is leaving, he sees a young girl in nightclothes bathing, and when he peeks into the study from the outside, what he sees is shocking, even to him. Later contact reveals that the professor does, indeed, have an “unusual” lifestyle.Ultimately, all three stories concern themselves with the subjects of dominance and subservience, with power and how to achieve and use it, and with the psychology which makes dominance over others both possible and plausible. Whether Tanizaki is using a kind of dark humor, as he does in “A Cat, A Man, and Two Women,” a psychological approach as he does in “The Little Kingdom,” or a bizarre erotic interlude, as he does in “Professor Rado,” his themes are similar, his execution is unparalleled, and his characters and their behavior are unforgettable.