Why are old men dirty just because they’re old? Shouldn’t everyone have the right to feel sexual desire? Isn’t it actually kind of great when someone whose own body is falling apart still has the taste of life in his(her) body and passion for the physical and emotional world?

An old man’s sexual urges go into hyperdrive after his stroke. The object of his lust is his daughter-in-law. While he can’t very well restrain his lust, you can’t help but feel he’s more than just a dirty, old man.

Tanizaki first caught my attention with In Praise of Shadows. This is my first experience with his fiction and I’m definitely encouraged to explore his work more deeply.