Soseki Natsume
Soseki Natsume was born in Tokyo in 1867, and upon graduating from the prestigious Tokyo University, worked as an English teacher for a time. He was sent to London for three years by the Japanese government in 1900 on the first English literary scholarship, where he developed a love for Shakespeare. Returning to take up a position at Tokyo University, he began his writing career with Botchan. This is one of his most famous works, along with I Am a Cat and Kokoro. Soseki enjoyed tremendous...See more
Soseki Natsume was born in Tokyo in 1867, and upon graduating from the prestigious Tokyo University, worked as an English teacher for a time. He was sent to London for three years by the Japanese government in 1900 on the first English literary scholarship, where he developed a love for Shakespeare. Returning to take up a position at Tokyo University, he began his writing career with Botchan. This is one of his most famous works, along with I Am a Cat and Kokoro. Soseki enjoyed tremendous popularity before his death in 1916 and his works are always cited as among the best in Japanese literature. When Japanese readers and critics are asked which authors they admire, Soseki's name frequently appears at the top of the list. He is also the only Japanese author referred to by his personal name (Soseki) and not his family name (Natsume), and his image appears on the Japanese 1000 yen note. Dennis Washburn is Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College. He is the author of "Translating Mount Fuji: Modern Japanese Fiction" and "The Ethics of Identity" and translator of "Temple of the Wild Geese" and "Bamboo Dolls of Echizen." See less
Soseki Natsume's Featured Books
Soseki Natsume book reviews
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I Am a Cat
Not for 21st Century Americans
by jandr, Apr 19, 2013
This is a comedy of manners, from the perspective of a cat, in Meiji Japan. The parts about the cat are witty and enjoyable. The parts about human beings concern a culture so far from our own that ... Read More
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Kokoro
Kokoro
Kokoro means "heart" in Japanese. The book is about a young man and an educated older man who he looks up to. He calls him Sensei. Sensei is a quiet and reclusive man who we see interacting only with ... Read More
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Zen Haiku
good
by arusso, Dec 18, 2008
A very interesting book, with Natsume Soseki's poems, that show why this japanese writer is so great.
BUT, it is disappointing that a book like this should be sold with such an expensive price!!! ... Read More