Beginning at the End

Beginning at the End

by | Mar 29, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

“And isn’t it better really to leave things only hinted at?” This is a well-cited line from Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s 1929 novel Tade kuu mushi (translated by Edward Seidensticker, Some Prefer Nettles). The protagonist’s father-in-law utters the line midway through the...
In the Beginning There Were Pigeons

In the Beginning There Were Pigeons

by | Mar 15, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

“In all things, it is the beginnings and the endings that are the most interesting.” Or, so wrote Japan’s famed medieval poet-monk Yoshida Kenkō (1283–1350). Kenkō illustrated this bit of aesthetic wisdom with advice on how to appreciate a romantic affair. The...