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this reviewerSynopsis
A young student in Tokyo finds a mentor, who happens to dislike humanity and promises that the student will only find disappointment in him. This happens during the time of the transition from the Meiji era to whatever the modern era is called.
My Thoughts
I have been wanting to expand my reading beyond my typical United States/England authors. Given, I read manga, and have read some European [Adrian Tchaikovsky is the main guy who springs to mind], and I've read the Russians and the French, but my Eastern reading was limited to half of The Art of War by Sun Tzu and some of Murakami's works [and those are just WEIRD!]
So I decided to read a Japanese author who was "acclaimed". Got a hold of Soseki's name and tracked down this book.
Basically, this was the fictional account of a young student growing up and having hero worship for someone who doesn't believe they deserve it. It is melancholic, dealing with death, the past, naivete.
I almost couldn't finish it when Sensei was telling his story, his fall from grace. I could totally relate to him as a young man. So full of self-righteousness, certainty & doubt, love & indecision, hope and despair.
And then Sensei's letter ends and so does the story. We never find out about the MC's father, or what he went on to do. It was almost like it was a cycle just waiting to repeat with small variations.
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Natsume Soseki
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