Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (1886–1965) was a Japanese writer. Born in Tokyo, he studied English and Japanese literature there but left university without graduating. His first published work, a one-act play, appeared in 1910 in a literary magazine he had helped to found. After the 1923 earthquake, he moved to the Kyoto-Osaka region and became increasingly interested in Japanese history and traditional culture. Among his major works are The Makioka Sisters, The Key, Diary of a Mad Old Man, and Some Prefer Nettles, also known as Fine Snow. His fiction, short stories, and essays frequently explore beauty and sensuality.