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Review
A brilliant piece of narrative . . . Kokoro is exactly what you would ask a novel to be . . . its effect is so fresh, so particular to itself . . . There is no more exhilarating experience than this sort of discovery . . .Soseki manipulates every detail with the same thrilling mastery. --Spectator
Sparsely populated, simple but perfect . . .it is a melancholy but stoical study in lonliness, guilt and self hatred . . . recalls Turgenev both in its economy and perfect symmetry of architecture. --Sunday Telegraph
Great sensitivity and insight --Sunday Times
Sparsely populated, simple but perfect . . .it is a melancholy but stoical study in lonliness, guilt and self hatred . . . recalls Turgenev both in its economy and perfect symmetry of architecture. --Sunday Telegraph
Great sensitivity and insight --Sunday Times
Product Description
Natsume Soseki's importance to Japanese literature can be compared to that of Dickens to Britain or Henry James to North America. Like these writers his work now holds a hugely popular and important place in the literary imagination of his country. Unlike them his work is only recently coming to the attention of readers from overseas. Kokoro joins the recent publications of The Gate, The Tower of London and the Three Cornered World from Peter Owen as part of an international programme to bring one of Japan's best known authors to a new English speaking audience. As Damian Flanagan says in his new critical introduction, Kokoro is the Soseki novel that has been given most attention by critics and the publicin Japan. On one level a meditation on the changing face of Japanese culture and its attitudes to honour, friendship, love, death, it is also a sly subversion of all of these things.The novel centres around the friendship between the narrator and the man he calls Sensei, who is haunted by mysterious events in his past. As the friendship grows and the narrator gets to know more about the man he so admires, he is increasingly intrigued by this hidden history. The Sensei, however, refuses to reveal anything until the third part of the book when the narrator is called away to look after his sick father and the truth is revealed in tragic circumstances, etching itself onto the narrator - and the reader's - 'Kokoro' : Heart.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A young student befriends an older man in Tokyo. The older one's intellectual abilities, and his sophistication gains him the title of 'Sensei' - roughly approximating 'teacher' or 'master' - from the younger one.
Though he likes him well enough, Sensei does nothing to encourage the young man's growing attachment to him. This only increases the student's interest in Sensei's life, who responds finally to his overtures of friendship and respect thus: 'I do not want your admiration now, because I do not want your insults in the future. I bear with my loneliness now in order to avoid greater loneliness in the years ahead. You see, loneliness is the price we have to pay for being born in this modern age, so full of freedom, independence, and our own egotistical selves'.
The novel is structured in three parts. The first two are narrated by the student, and the third is a 'testament' in letter form by Sensei, outlining the story of his life, and explaining why he has for so long withdrawn from the outside world.
Sensei's testament is a profound self-examination and self-criticism, mostly revolving around his selfish and manipulative actions, in his own student days, when he and his friend (a fellow student) were both in love with the same girl (now Sensei's wife). This behaviour leads, in the end, to catastrophic results for his friend. From that period on, though Sensei has appeared outwardly normal and happy, his life has been completely blighted.
What makes the novel such a significant work for Western readers (other than its literary excellence) is the distinctly Japanese point of view it brings to an old story. This new perspective brings up a large number of worrying (because unanswerable) questions. How much, for instance, does Sensei's failure to forgive himself for his earlier mistakes arise from his culture's sense of 'honour', and how much from human nature?
Kokoro translates as 'the heart of things', a perfect title for a book that delicately, subtly and finally disturbingly, probes the mystery that is the core of human life.
Though he likes him well enough, Sensei does nothing to encourage the young man's growing attachment to him. This only increases the student's interest in Sensei's life, who responds finally to his overtures of friendship and respect thus: 'I do not want your admiration now, because I do not want your insults in the future. I bear with my loneliness now in order to avoid greater loneliness in the years ahead. You see, loneliness is the price we have to pay for being born in this modern age, so full of freedom, independence, and our own egotistical selves'.
The novel is structured in three parts. The first two are narrated by the student, and the third is a 'testament' in letter form by Sensei, outlining the story of his life, and explaining why he has for so long withdrawn from the outside world.
Sensei's testament is a profound self-examination and self-criticism, mostly revolving around his selfish and manipulative actions, in his own student days, when he and his friend (a fellow student) were both in love with the same girl (now Sensei's wife). This behaviour leads, in the end, to catastrophic results for his friend. From that period on, though Sensei has appeared outwardly normal and happy, his life has been completely blighted.
What makes the novel such a significant work for Western readers (other than its literary excellence) is the distinctly Japanese point of view it brings to an old story. This new perspective brings up a large number of worrying (because unanswerable) questions. How much, for instance, does Sensei's failure to forgive himself for his earlier mistakes arise from his culture's sense of 'honour', and how much from human nature?
Kokoro translates as 'the heart of things', a perfect title for a book that delicately, subtly and finally disturbingly, probes the mystery that is the core of human life.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book must rate as one of the great works in world literature. It is a story so simple in the telling and yet so complex in meaning. A simple hook will draw you into the world of the narrator and compel you to read on until you reach the stunning conclusion. The confessional tone of the novel will make you feel like a witness to the events as they unfold.The unordained writing style serves to add authenticity to the tale and acts as a counterpoint to the 'haiku style' poetic descriptions littered throughout the book. There can be no summary of the plot for this would spoil the impact on the reader. It is a work that poses so many questions but whose answers you can only 'swim around' and come tantalizingly close to resolving but ultimately realize that they will remain elusive. However, in seeking to answer the unanswerable you will discover many things and be drawn back to read the book again. I consider myself well read and I felt considerable embarrassment at my ignorance of Soseki's work before I purchased this book on a friend's advise. Incomparable.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
this book is so delicate and comprehensive. in true japanese style the plot is by no means fast paced, which could put some off, but what you loose in pace i felt you gained so much in depth. as a result the characters really came to life and i felt myself empathising with so many of them.
the basic plot is that a young student meets one who he calls 'sensei' although not being an official teacher to him, this student wants to learn from this mysterious and closed person.
written in the first person, the reader is brought face to face with many themes although there seems to be a hint of nihilistic undertone--particularly when one regards the history at the time of it's writing. i particularly loved the abrupt ending which in some sense doesn't finish the story and therefore allows you to conclude it yourself, but i won't ruin it for you!
i only bought this book because dancingphilip recommended it, so it was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off. probably one of my top 5 books.
the basic plot is that a young student meets one who he calls 'sensei' although not being an official teacher to him, this student wants to learn from this mysterious and closed person.
written in the first person, the reader is brought face to face with many themes although there seems to be a hint of nihilistic undertone--particularly when one regards the history at the time of it's writing. i particularly loved the abrupt ending which in some sense doesn't finish the story and therefore allows you to conclude it yourself, but i won't ruin it for you!
i only bought this book because dancingphilip recommended it, so it was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off. probably one of my top 5 books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent book, excellent translation
I read the book in Japanese before and I wanted to try its English version. This book keeps the original beauty without giving too many notes. Read more
Published 17 days ago by mn London
Kokoro - a first taste for me of Japanese lit. of this era
This was a literary toe in the Japanese waters for me and I was quite undecided for at least half of the book whether to continue reading. Read more
Published 27 days ago by David Price
Sparse, bleak, thought-provoking & utterly enthralling
The first thing to strike the reader is that the book is all told in the first person, although there are two different viewpoints. Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. Meadows
Kokoro
`Kokoro' is a beautifully written book with a deep underlying sadness running throughout it.
This is the story of a young man (the narrator) who befriends an older man,... Read more
This is the story of a young man (the narrator) who befriends an older man,... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Spider Monkey
Kokoro, the heart
I picked up this book because I am simply intrigued by Soseki's much recognized status of Japan's leading novelist, so much so that this book is commonly used as textbook material... Read more
Published 15 months ago by O. Cheng
A thought provoking novel!
If you love Japanese literature this is one of the best! As many reviewers have already said it could have been written last week. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2009 by D. Mcmullin
An Insightful Novel
By using his experiences living in the late Meiji period of Japan, Natsume Soseki wrote an insightful novel entitled "Kokoro," which was translated in English language by Edwin... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2007 by Zadius Sky
Great book, shame about the edition
Kokoro is a great book, dealing with the friendship between a student and an older man. Other reviewers have written about this book in sufficient detail, such that there is very... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2007 by Ishmael Du The
Thoughtfully written and engaging
A very slow but well written book. You find yourself immersed in another pace of life altogether. I really liked how characters were observed. And the complexity of deep emotions. Read more
Published on 24 May 2007 by anon-london
Gentle
Kokoro is a book that can only be described as gentle, soft and heartbreaking. Written in a typical Japanese style the plot is more about the feelings of the main characters and... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2006 by N. Green
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