| NOTA |
(★)(Translated by Sammy I. Tsunematsu／ ´NI-0286´y´NI-0327´son mismos libros.／ Titulo original : 永日小品 [Eijitsu Shoohin, 1909]／ Published here for the first time in English,´Spring Miscellany´ was originally serialized in 1909 in the Asahi newspaper as ´Eijitsu Shoohin´ before appearing in book form. It is an eclectic pastiche --a literary miscellany-- of twenty-five sketches, referred to as ´shoohin [´little items´]´, heir to the great ´zuihitsu´tradition of discursive prose. These personal vignettes, which reveal Soseki´s interest in authentic, unadorned self-expression, are clearly autobiographical and reveal his kaleidoscopic view of his private world. There are scattered episodes from his youth and from the more recent past.／ Of particular interest are the accounts of his stay in England between 1900 and 1902, where he attended University College, studied privately with W.J, Craig, editor of the Arden Shakespeare, and immersed himself in studying eighteenth-century literature. It was not a happy time for Soseki --he described his stay as ´like a poor dog that had wandered into the company of wolves´-- but, as with all great writers, he managed to turn adversity into raw material for his art. Two additional essays and personal correspondence written during Soseki´s time in England complement the ´Spring Miscellany´ accounts.／ ◆Soseki Natsume (1867-1916) is widely considered the foremost novelist of the Meiji period (1868-1914). After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1893, Soseki taught high school before spending two years in England on a Japanese government scholarship. He returned to lecture in English literature at the university. Numerous nervous disorders forced him to give up teaching in 1908 and he became a full-time writer for the Asahi newspaper. In addition to fourteen novels, Soseki wrote haiku, poems in the Chinese style, academic papers on literary theory, essays, autobiographical sketches and fairy tales.／ Sammy I. Tsunematsu is founder and curator of the Soseki Museum in London, and the translator of several of Soseki´s works. He has also researched and published widely on the Japanese artist Yoshio Markino, who was a contemporary of Soseki´s living in London at the beginning of the twentieth century. Tsunematsu has lived in Surrey, England, for thirty years.／ ▼CONTENTS／ Introduction／New Year´s Day／The Snake／The Thief／The Persimmon／The Brazier／The Boarding House／Odor of the Past／The Cat´s Grave／A Sweet Dream／Impressions／The Human Being／The Pheasant／Mona Lisa／The Fire／Fog／The Kakemono／The 11th of February／A Good Bargain／The Procession／In Bygone Days／The Voice／Money／The Heart／Changes／Craig Sensei／The Carlyle Museum／The Diary of a Bicycle Rider／Soseki´s Letters from London／) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
Print Page