Botchan (Master Darling)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in Botchan for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Soseki's lightest and funniest work." - Donald Keene "This rollicking rebel, and the spice and pace of the narrative, will appeal to parent, teacher, and schoolchild alike." - Times Literary Supplement "Natsume Soseki is unquestionably one of Japan's greatest modern novelists and the easiest approach to his work is through his delightful early satire, BOTCHAN." - Oliver Statler"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Botchan, like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Catcher in the Rye, is a classic of its kind, a sly, funny, poignant tale about a young mans rebellion against the system. Since its original publication 100 years ago, it has enjoyed a timeless popularity among Japanese readers both young and old, making it, according to Donald Keene, probably the most widely read novel in modern Japan.
The setting is Japan's deep south, where the author himself spent four years teaching English in a middle school. Into this conservative world, with its social proprieties and established pecking order, breezes Botchan, down from the big city, with scant respect for either his elders or his noisy young charges; and the result is a chain of collisions large and small.
Most of the story seems to occur in summer, against the drone of cicadas and the sting of mosquitoes. And in every way this is a summer book--light, sunny, and fun to read. Here, in a lively new translation much better suited to the American reader, Botchan should continue to entertain even those who have never been near the sunlit island on which these calamitous episodes take place.
The setting is Japan's deep south, where the author himself spent four years teaching English in a middle school. Into this conservative world, with its social proprieties and established pecking order, breezes Botchan, down from the big city, with scant respect for either his elders or his noisy young charges; and the result is a chain of collisions large and small.
Most of the story seems to occur in summer, against the drone of cicadas and the sting of mosquitoes. And in every way this is a summer book--light, sunny, and fun to read. Here, in a lively new translation much better suited to the American reader, Botchan should continue to entertain even those who have never been near the sunlit island on which these calamitous episodes take place.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This humorous and light-hearted work was a joy to read. While the book is not in the same league as Soseki's more polished 'I am a Cat', it is nonetheless an outstanding work of wit and satire. Many adults will be able to identify with the office politics in the book, with all the ensuing gossip and backstabbing that goes on. The book touches on the themes of city versus country and westernisation versus tradition but it doesn't allow itself to get stuck in the mud. There is a feel good factor to the book as the 'soul' of our hero is fought over by two members of staff. Botchan, our hero, finds himself at the wrong end of some school pranks as a consequence of his naivety. His naivety is also responsible for him being misled by the convincing Akashatsu. However, his common sense and good moral grounding allow him to eventual see through the deceptions of this clever talker. Botchan will eventually ally himself with the noble Hotta in seeking revenge for an injustice committed by Akashatsu. This is a book suitable for teenagers who have 'Catcher in the Rye' thrust upon them while at school as well as for adults. All good fun really.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very famous book in Japan. Soseki is mainly renowned for sombre, heavy (and brilliant) novels like Mon (The Gate) and Kokoro, and for his ingenious, otherworldly Wagahai wa neko de aru (I am a Cat).
However, he is best loved for this novel, the much lighter work of a younger man. Probably almost everybody over the age of about 15 in Japan knows of this book. It shows Soseki's range to be staggering (I finally agree with the prevailing critical consensus that Soseki was, indeed, a truly great writer): this is one of the funniest books I have ever read, up there with Three Men in Boat and Our Man in Havana. My feeling is that this new translation is first rate too.
However, he is best loved for this novel, the much lighter work of a younger man. Probably almost everybody over the age of about 15 in Japan knows of this book. It shows Soseki's range to be staggering (I finally agree with the prevailing critical consensus that Soseki was, indeed, a truly great writer): this is one of the funniest books I have ever read, up there with Three Men in Boat and Our Man in Havana. My feeling is that this new translation is first rate too.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read the description and reviews of this book I decided to buy it. It's about a young teacher from Tokyo in a rural school, this appealed to me greatly. The novel is humerous and cynical and as the previous reviewer said, it gives an insight into Japanese life at that time.
I really enjoyed this book although I must admit, it did not keep me as enthralled as Kokoro did. However, it is a great read and I recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book although I must admit, it did not keep me as enthralled as Kokoro did. However, it is a great read and I recommend it.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Delightful Early Soseki Novel
A charming little novel by S'seki. It doesn't contain the insight that his later novels do, as it races along at great pace, but it's a joyous, fun read. Read more
Published 19 months ago by DRFP
Awesome book,
I am quite a fan of Japanese Literature but haven't read much recently, so I decided to have a read of Botchan last week. Read more
Published on 29 July 2008 by S. Barnes
Modern classic
A real find is this - apparently an old Japanese favourite, much loved by pretty much everyone... It's almost a hundred years old but somehow as fresh as a flipping daisy - the... Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2007 by Richard Hammond
Botchan is delightful, but not in this translation
I just read Botchan in Alan Turney's translation. Then compared this version translated by Umeji Sasaki. Turney is better in using colloquial English and the humor comes through. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2003
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fiction > Classics
- Books > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction
- Books > Fiction > Literary Fiction
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
