Kokoro

"The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight." -Anthony West, The New YorkerKOKORO ("the heart of things") explores emotions familiar to everyone-love and hate, hope and despair, companionship and loneliness.Sensei, a man seen against the rich background of old-new Japan, is outwardly successful; he has position, wealth, a charming wife. Deep in the heart of things, he is harried with a profound sense of isolation whose cure lies only in "faith, madness, or death." This book is the story of his long-hidden secret, divulged to a young friend who is threatened with a similar dilemma. The genius of Soseki, Japan's first great modern novelist, lies in his ability to express universal emotions with the beautiful restraint of the Japanese spirit.

"The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight." -Anthony West, The New YorkerKOKORO ("the heart of things") explores emotions familiar to everyone-love and hate, hope and despair, companionship and loneliness.Sensei, a man seen against the rich background of old-new Japan, is outwardly successful; he has position, wealth, a charming wife. Deep in the heart of things, he is harried with a profound sense of isolation whose cure lies only in "faith, madness, or death." This book is the story of his long-hidden secret, divulged to a young friend who is threatened with a similar dilemma. The genius of Soseki, Japan's first great modern novelist, lies in his ability to express universal emotions with the beautiful restraint of the Japanese spirit.