I am a cat

Author: Natsume Sōseki
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-02
Features: A World Through the Eyes of a Cat: What kind of creature is this outwardly respectable, yet full of male and female vices master? Just a pseudo-intellectual, a self-proclaimed elegant, yet low-taste, middle-aged man riddled with bad habits. A must-read masterpiece in Japanese literature, it lacks the weakly glamorous style of The Tale of Genji and the morbidly beautiful melancholy of Snow Country. It's a bold, self-assured, and straightforward true cat—almost, almost like that lovable "Doraemon—Dongding." This book is almost unbelievable to be written by a Japanese! I Am a Cat is Natsume Sōseki's debut work and also his masterpiece. One of Japan's genius books, it is also a world literary classic. The author wrote this book in a state of extreme frustration, pouring out his own grievances and resentments in the character of the "confessor." Through the eyes of a cat, the book offers a look at life and society, filled with fantastical imagination. I Am a Cat targets the contradictions and incompleteness of the "gold-power society" after the Meiji Restoration, such as "gain and loss," "right and wrong," "good and evil," "anxiety," and "emptiness." The author is one of the most profound critics and revealers of Meiji-era spiritual civilization, employing the technique of the cat's satire and judgment. Its sharpness and depth quickly drew the admiration and interest of the world. In the book, the "madness" of Suzuki Tōjirō, the "death" of Dr. Kanji, and the "faith" of Yamaguchi Dokkyū all embody the idea of "ruling without private interests." Although Sōseki also satirizes Dokkyū's Eastern "natural law" cultivation, he can ultimately only seek spiritual redemption.