Literally meaning "heart", the Japanese word "kokoro" can be more distinctly translated as "the heart of things" or "feeling." Natsume Soseki's 1914 novel, which was originally published in serial format in a Japanese newspaper, "Kokoro" deals with the transition from the Japanese Meiji society to the modern era. Divided into three parts "Sensei and I," "My Parents and I," and "Sensei and His Testament," the novel explores the themes of loneliness and isolation. In the first part we find the narrator attending university where he befriends an older man, known only as "Sensei," who lives a largely reclusive life. In the second part of the novel the narrator graduates from college and returns home to await the death of his father. The third part of the novel recounts a letter that the narrator receives from the "Sensei," which describes the circumstances that caused his loss of faith in humanity and the guilt he feels over the death of a childhood friend which drives him to the reclusive life that he has led. A deeply thematic novel "Kokoro" provides an excellent introduction to one of Japan's most beloved authors, Natsume Soseki.
Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916) was a prominent Japanese writer and professor of English literature, considered one of the main literati of modern Japan. Among his most recognized works are "I Am a Cat" (1905), "Botchan" (1906), and "Kokoro" (1914). These novels, belonging to the genre of modern Japanese literature, explore themes such as identity, loneliness, and cultural transition in Japan during the Meiji era. Although Sōseki did not receive literary awards in his lifetime, his legacy has endured, with his likeness included on the 1000 yen bills between 1984 and 2004.
(1867-1916) Nació en Tokio. Tras realizar los estudios universitarios, ejerció como profesor en varias ciudades de su país. Amplió estudios en Londres y en 1903 le fue confiada la cátedra de literatura inglesa en la Universidad Imperial de la capital japonesa. En 1907 renunció a la enseñanza universitaria para dedicarse exclusivamente a la producción literaria. Hechicero de la prosa japonesa e iniciador de un nuevo estilo de novela, es una figura emblemática de la literatura japonesa moderna e iniciador de una corriente literaria que continuaron ilustres escritores de diversas escuelas más próximas a nuestros días. El trasfondo ideológico de sus obras ha suscitado el interés de estudiosos japoneses y extranjeros. La armonía de su exquisito lirismo y su perspicaz análisis de la realidad humana han tenido siempre un peculiar atractivo para el público japonés. Soseki es la encarnación de una época de transición violenta, donde el orden de los valores tradicionales choca con el de los modernos valores occidentales cuya fuerza es imaparable. Entre sus obras se encuentran ensayos, poesías y, sobre todo, novelas. Son especialmente representativas, además de «Yo, el gato», «Botchan» («El joven mimado»), «Gubijinso» («Amapola»), «Sanshiro», «Kusamokura» («La almohada de hierba»), «Kokoro» («Corazón»), «Sorekara» («Después»), «Tabibito» («El caminante»), «Mon» («La puerta») y «Meian» («Claroscuro»), que dejó incompleta en noviembre de 1916, poco antes de su muerte.