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Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石)
夏目漱石, Natsume Sōseki, (9 Feb 1867 - 9 Dec 1916) was the pen name of Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目金之助). He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, and I Am a Cat.
Born in the city of Edo, Sōseki began his life as an unwanted child. He was raised by a former household servant (Shiobara Masanosuke) until the age of nine.
In 1887, Sōseki met Masaoka Shiki, who encouraged him on the path to becoming a writer. Shiki tutored him in the art of composing haiku. He began signing his poems with the name Sōseki, which is a Chinese idiom meaning "stubborn".
In 1900, Sōseki was sent from Japan to study in Great Britain. He had a miserable time in London, spending most of his days indoors reading. Despite his poverty and loneliness he developed a broad knowledge of English literature.
He returned to Japan at the end of 1902. After his return to the Empire of Japan, he became a professor of English literature at Tokyo Imperial University, (東京帝國大學, Tōkyō teikoku daigaku) where he taught literary theory and criticism.
Soseki developed the symptoms of tuberculosis from around 1904 and never fully recovered. On the suggestion of Suga Torao, he practiced Zen meditation at the Engakuji Temple in Kita Kamakura. He described this experience in "Mon" and "Yume Juya" (Ten Nights of Dreams).
In 1907 Soseki retired from his university post. He worked as the literary of editor of the Asahi Shimbun. From Kofu (1908, The Miner) onwards his tales started to have dark tones. One of his central themes was the conflict between individual needs and the demands of society and often his characters suffer from feelings guilt after acting against the wishes of their family.
Soseki was active just when Japan was opening up the world, and is quoted as saying that "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."
In 1984, Soseki Museum in London opened by Sammy I. Tsunematsu at 80b, The Chase Clapham London SW4 0NG.
日本の手紙
posted by Message from Japan on Sunday, May 27, 2007
1 Comments:
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At 8:14 PM,
said... -
Out flew the web and floated wide-
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
Did Tennyson's Poetry affect the development of Soseki's writing style?