Reviews

In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

mtnz_maronho's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

3.5

lezreadalot's review against another edition

4.0

If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty.

Very different from everything I've been reading lately and I quite enjoyed that. This was an essay (of sorts) about the Japanese sense of beauty and aesthetics, in architecture, art, theatre, people. Emphasises the use of shadows and darkness to accentuate beauty, how and why they emerged and were popular, and how these practises are being eroded by Western sensibilities. I liked it very much, both for what Tanizaki is saying, and also just as a chance to learn about a few cultural nuances I was unaware of. Lightness and light is always seen as a wonderful and generally bettering aspect, and it was nice to see that challenged, in every sense that Tanizaki did it.

jjbarry's review against another edition

informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.25

ktmtnguyen's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

eclb's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

Boken beskriver verdien og styrken i kontraster og ikke minst i mørke og skygger på en grundig, nyansert, gjennomtenkt og kraftfull måte. Hvordan Tanizaki greier å fremheve verdien av å ikke ha alt lyst og skinnende, vestlig, er godt gjennomført. En bok som virkelig kan inspirere til å se på rom og bygninger med et annet syn og se verdien i de ting som ikke er nytt og opplyst.

Tanizaki fremhever virkelig hvordan arkitektur har utviklet seg slik det gjorde på grunn av klima og egenskapene til de materialer som var praktiske Og tilgjengelige, både i Japan og i Vesten.

And so it has come to be that the beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of heavy shadows against light shadows - it has nothing else. (29)

Such is our thinking - we find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates. (46)

I do not ask that this be done everywhere, but perhaps we may be allowed at least one mansion where we can turn off the electric lights and see what it is like without them. (63-64)

The quality that we call beauty ... must always grow from the realities of life. (Sitat fra boken presentert i etterordet på side 70)

davidtan's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

hummer_tales's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

daydreams's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

1.75

adrian_valentim's review against another edition

4.0

Um livro pequeno e estranho. Em Louvor da Sombra é um ensaio sobre o que se foi esteticamente perdido com a chegada das invenções da modernidade no Japão de 1930. Em particular, o autor discorre sobre o a importância da sombra e da penumbra na arquitetura, decoração e moda japonesa que evoluiu para ser exibida em ambientes escuros, os quais estavam se tornando cada vez menos comuns com a chegada das lâmpadas elétricas.

Apesar de eu ser pouco simpatético a visões nostálgicas do passado, gostei do livro. Em parte porque o próprio autor reconhece a ironia de sua posição, e vê o progresso como irresistível; sua intenção com o ensaio não é a de frear de alguma forma essa mudança, mas a de conservar a estética da sombra no santuário da literatura. E em parte porque o autor domina uma prosa elegante e cuidadosa que me instigaria a continuar lendo independente do assunto.

doomchipmunk's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing

3.5