{"title":"Soseki Natsume","description":"Soseki Natsume is the pen name of Kinnosuke Natsume, born in 1867 in Japan. A prolific author of poetry, fiction and essays, Soseki wrote some of Japan's most beloved novels, including I Am a Cat, Botchan, and Kokoro. He is so revered in Japan that his image appeared on the 1000 Yen banknote for many years.","products":[{"product_id":"soseki-natsume-kokoro-a-classic-novel-of-japan-paperback","title":"Soseki Natsume Kokoro: A Classic Novel of Japan - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Natsume Soseki is the representative modern Japanese novelist, a figure of truly national stature.\" --Haruki Murakami\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA chance encounter irrevocably links a university student to an older man he simply calls Sensei (\"Teacher\"). Intrigued by Sensei's aloofness, the student visits him with increasing frequency, and Sensei and his beautiful wife eventually open their home and lives to him. The student graduates and is called home to care for his dying father, but Sensei draws him back with a letter revealing a secret that has shadowed him since youth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten in 1914, toward the end of Soseki's career, \u003ci\u003eKokoro\u003c\/i\u003e provides a timeless psychological analysis of man's alienation from society. It is recognized as one of his most important works and a milestone in the emergence of the psychological novel in Japan. Its universal themes of friendship, betrayal and the struggle for meaning in a rapidly changing world continue to resonate today.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102494986463,"sku":"9784805319796","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/iEJtf8zVMY9784805319796.webp?v=1781083362"},{"product_id":"botchan-a-novel-by-soseki-natsume-paperback","title":"Botchan: A Novel by Soseki Natsume - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Soseki remains the great master of modern literature in Japan.\" --Norma M. Field\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBotchan has a chip on his shoulder. His elder brother is his parents' obvious favorite and Botchan only receives any attention at all if he misbehaves. After his parents die, Botchan is cut off by his brother and drifts into a job teaching math in a small provincial town far from the big city. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrust into this alien environment, Botchan finds nothing but trouble--from his nosy landlord; his students, who delight in tormenting him; his fellow teachers, each of whom he christens with a sly nickname--Porcupine, Green Squash, Badger, Red Shirt--and others who insist on complicating his life. The result is chaos, told with great wit and irony that make this Soseki's funniest novel. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA modern classic in Japan, \u003ci\u003eBotchan\u003c\/i\u003e is as widely read today as when it was first published, occupying a place in the canon similar to \u003ci\u003eThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer\u003c\/i\u003e or \u003ci\u003eThe Catcher in the Rye\u003c\/i\u003e. Botchan's coming-of-age quest to navigate the hypocrisy of his peers while remaining true to what is honest and good never fails to capture the hearts and imaginations of readers.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103131865311,"sku":"9784805318225","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/UOGwNKlxPk9784805318225.webp?v=1781090348"},{"product_id":"poppy-paperback","title":"Poppy - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis melodrama explores the tangled relationships among friends and families in Meiji-era Japan. Six young men and women grapple with their futures in a country moving from traditional to modern ways. \u003cem\u003ePoppy\u003c\/em\u003e (Gubijinsō) was the first book published by Natsume Sōseki after he left teaching and joined Tokyo Asahi Shimbun to become a full-time writer. The book appeared as a serial in 127 episodes in the newspaper \u003cem\u003eTokyo Asahi Shimbun\u003c\/em\u003e from June 23 to October 29, 1907.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103732961503,"sku":"9781959002093","price":17.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/HUfU5Iy9b9781959002093.webp?v=1781097525"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/soseki-natsume.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}