細雪 (Sasameyuki) (1944)

The outstanding Japanese novelist of the century...The Makioka Sisters is his greatest book' Edmund White, New York Times Book ReviewTanizaki's masterpiece is the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. It is a loving and nostalgic recreation of the sumptuous, intricate upper-class life of Osaka immediately before World War Two. With surgical precision, Tanizaki lays bare the sinews of pride, and brings a vanished era to vibrant life.