A CAT, A MAN AND TWO WOMEN...

A CAT, A MAN AND TWO WOMEN by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, translated by Paul McCarthy (Kodansha: $6.95). Tanizaki’s sardonic novella describes a singular romantic polygon involving a man, his current wife, his ex-wife and Lily, an aging tortoise-shell cat. Lily becomes the vital pawn in a series of arch gambits as the three humans seek to hide their bitter struggle for position behind polite, disinterested facades. Two dryly funny but insightful short stories in this collection also focus on questions of dominance and submission: In “The Little Kingdom,” an impoverished teacher and a precociously manipulative student battle for control of a junior high school class, while “Professor Rado” focuses on an eccentric, pompous academic who inadvertently reveals his rather kinky sexual tastes.