Natsume Soseki

"A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn't have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn't much good for anything except watching human beings in action..." -<b>The New Yorker</b><br/><br/>Written from 1904 through 1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece,<i> I Am a Cat</i>, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.<br/><br/>A classic of Japanese literature, <i>I Am a Cat</i> is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the most significant writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's <i>I Am a Cat</i> is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to come.

<b>A timeless psychological study of a young man's deep alienation from society.</b><br/><br/>Set in the early 20th century, <i>Kokoro</i> opens with a chance encounter on a beach near Tokyo that irrevocably links a young student to a man he simply calls Sensei (Teacher). Intrigued by Sensei's aloofness, the student calls upon him with increasing frequency. Eventually, Sensei and his beautiful wife open their home and their lives to him. Only later does the student learn the devastating secret that has haunted Sensei since his youth.<br/><br/><i>Kokoro</i> has sold millions of copies in Japan where it is taught in schools and is a perennial favorite. Its lucid prose and universal themes of friendship, betrayal and the struggle for meaning in a changing world have made it popular internationally as well. This English-language manga version will make the book accessible to a new generation of foreign readers.<br/><br/><b><i>The manga includes depictions of suicide and may not be suitable for some readers.</i></b>

<b>Japan's beloved literary masterpiece brought to life in manga form!</b><br/><br/>Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, <i>I Am a Cat</i>, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society in early 20th century Tokyo. Written with biting wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a rather cynical stray kitten. He finds his way into the home of an English teacher, where his running commentary on the follies and foibles of the people around him has been making readers laugh for more than a century.<br/><br/>This is the very first manga edition in English of this classic piece of Japanese literature. The story lends itself well to a graphic novel format, allowing readers to pick up on the more subtle cues of the expressive cat, while also being immersed in the world of his perceptive narration. It is true to classic manga form, and is read back to front.<br/><br/>Beautifully illustrated by Japanese artist Chiroru Kobato, this edition provides a visual, entertaining look at a unique period in Japan's history-filled with cultural and societal changes, rapid modernization and a feeling of limitless possibility-through the eyes of an unlikely narrator.