NOTA |
()(trans. by Aiko Ito & Graeme Wilson)(LI am a cat. As yet I have no name.L So begins one of the most original and unforgettable works in Japanese literature.^@Richly allegorical and delightfully readable, LI Am a CatL is the chronicle of an unloved, unwanted, wandering kitten who spends all his time observing human nature --from the dramas of businessmen and schoolteachers to the foibles of priests and potentates. From this unique perspective, author Sooseki Natsume offers a biting commentary --shaped by his training in Chinese philosophy-- on the social upheaval of the Meiji era.^@LI Am a CatL first appeared in ten installments in the literary magazine LHototoguisu (Cuckoo)L, between 1905 and 1906. Sooseki had not intended to write more than the short story that makes up the first chapter of this book. After its great critical and popular success, he expanded it into this epic novel, which is universally recognized as a classic of world literature.^@Sooseki Natsume [1867-1916] is the pen name of Natsume Kin-nosuke, born in 1867 in Japan. After an extensive education in English, Chinese, and Japanese literature, Sooseki turned to writing in 1904 and produced a number of works, including LBotchanL, LThe Three-Cornered WorldL, and LMonL. He died in Tokyo in 1916.^@Aiko Ito and Graeme Wilson have many well-regarded translations of Japanese literature to their credit. Their co-translations include SoosekiLs LTen Nights of DreamL, LHearing ThingsL, and LThe Heredity of TasteL.) |