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by Natsume Soseki (1922)

Botchan, a young Japanese “black sheep of the family”, a younger son that fell short from his older brother, is a “straight-shooter” with a knack for troubles and misdeeds. With his family favouring his older brother, the only one who seems to genuinely care for him (and vice versa) is Kiyo, the woman-servant. When his father dies, he was given a small portion of the legacy but was disclaimed of any further family responsibility.

After graduating from a school of Physics, he was sent to teach mathematics in an isolated southern islands, immediately taking a dislike to the people around him with their obsequious, false flattery and fakery. His outspoken manners, his disregard for authorities and two-faced formalities, run him into constant troubles.

For a society that highly values conformity, communal and social harmony and obligations, Botchan’s simple honesty — some might even say naivete — seems like one of the recurring archetypal favourites in Japanese popular culture. Quick read, though sometimes a bit outdated translation.

Tags:20th-century, Japan, Japanese-Literature
fiction, Japan, Soseki, Natsume

October 29, 2007 @ 3:45 am  | 1 Comment