Product Description

In October 1900 a brilliant but largely unknown Japanese scholar arrived in London to commence two years of intense study. The scholar would later become the most celebrated Japanese writer of all time, Natsume Soseki, and produce a dazzling collection of novels, memoirs, criticism and short stories that form the bedrock of modern Japanese literature. The spectacle of a Japanese visitor to Victorian London was a rare one, and Soseki's acute observations contain unique snapshots of London life. Against the backdrop of these images, Soseki develops profound reflections on universal themes. The river Thames is transformed into the river Styx; the Tower of London becomes a gateway to the Underworld; mysterious boarding houses and the spirits of the dead are encountered through relics and memoir; time itself is regained and explored. This new translation provides the perfect introduction to the work of one of the world s greatest authors, accompanied for the first time with a comprehensive critical introduction and a wry fictional account of a meeting between Soseki and Sherlock Holmes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61086 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-12
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
We know little about the literary baggage that informs Japanese preconceptions of Britain. It is rather a shock to discover that the most familiar and most compelling is a vision of Victorian London at the turn of the 20th century by a young Japanese scholar, one of Japan s most famous modern writers, who lived for two years in boarding houses and met almost no one. The Dickensian London he brilliantly describes is so close to virtual reality that in one short story Soseki himself meets Sherlock Holmes. --The Times

'Scrupulously and enthusiastically introduced and annotated.' --Anthony Thwaite, Sunday Telegraph

What makes this collection so fascinating is that Soseki viewed England as much from the viewpoint of an anthropologist as from that of a creative writer. . . one is never in doubt that one is in the presence of greatness. The translator, Damian Flanagan, has provided an excellent introduction and ample notes. I have always thought that of all English novelists it is E.M. Forster that Soseki most resembles. Flanagan, whether deliberately or not, catches Forster s authorial tone with uncanny accuracy. --Spectator

'The translator, Damian Flanagan, has provided an excellent introduction and ample notes. I have always thought that of all English novelists is is E.M. Forster that Soseki most resembles. Flanagan, whether deliberately or not, catches Forster's authorial tone with uncanny accuracy.' --Francis King, The Spectator

What makes this collection so fascinating is that Soseki viewed England as much from the viewpoint of an anthropologist as from that of a creative writer. . . one is never in doubt that one is in the presence of greatness. The translator, Damian Flanagan, has provided an excellent introduction and ample notes. I have always thought that of all English novelists it is E.M. Forster that Soseki most resembles. Flanagan, whether deliberately or not, catches Forster s authorial tone with uncanny accuracy. --Spectator

The greatest Japanese novelist of the modern period. --Sunday Telegraph

An extraordinarily varied and accomplished writer. --Observer

Literary Review
‘Marvellous . . . Nothing is allowed to get in the way of the text’s sensory impact . . . exemplarily edited, a delight.’

Anthony Thwaite, Sunday Telegraph
‘Scrupulously and enthusiastically introduced and annotated’

Customer Reviews

Wandering through a fog of alienation
I came accross this book after having read a diverse range of Japanese fiction previously, I am also interested in the mysterious areas of London so this seemed like a good choice.
From the small extracts scattered through these pages I find it strange that Soseki is virtually unknown in the West. Obviously there will be some elements lost in translation but its not difficult to see why he is so highly regarded in Japan.
Soseki spent two years in London studying English Literature, this book is a compendium of various writing and letters he completed during and after his stay. Lack of social contact and his obvious alienation in a land unused to Japanese led to some wonderful work. Seeing turn of the century London through the eyes of such a gifted writer is compelling and rewarding in equal measure. The descriptions are infused with a deep fascination for history, I cannot remember reading something which captures space and time in such a unique way.
I look forward to reading some fiction from Soseki and hopefully we will be able to find him on more bookshop shelves in England.