Sóseki Nacume Knihy

Mistrovský román klasika moderní japonské literatury, ve kterém citlivě a působivě ztvárnil generační střet v zemi procházející prudkou přeměnou. Román Kokoro (japonské slovo znamená srdce, ale také mysl, duch či cítění) je považován za vrcholné dílo Sóseki Nacumeho, ve kterém mistrně ztvárnil hluboké rozpory japonské společnosti na sklonku éry Meidži (1868–⁠1912). Mladý student se setkává s profesorem, starším mužem, který se drží stranou společnosti, a jeho ženou. Postupně proniká do tajemství profesorova života a odhaluje jeho třináctou komnatu, tragickou smrt jeho přítele ze studií. Nacumeho román je také vylíčením propasti mezi starší a mladší generací, která významně poznamenala Japonsko na počátku moderní éry a je opět aktuální dnes, v době globalizace. Není divu, že celosvětově roste zájem o Sósekiho dílo a samotné Kokoro se dočkalo v posledních letech řady překladů do světových jazyků, mimo jiné již třetího překladu do angličtiny.

Román japonského autora z počátku dvacátého století zachycuje citové zrání mladého muže v podmínkách vzájemného prolínání kultury Východu a Západu.

Exploring the themes of loneliness and isolation, this novel delves into the transition from Meiji society to modern Japan. It is structured in three parts, focusing on the narrator's relationship with the reclusive "Sensei," his return home after graduating, and a revealing letter from Sensei that uncovers his deep-seated guilt and loss of faith in humanity. This poignant narrative offers insight into the complexities of human emotions and relationships, making it a significant work by Natsume Soseki.

Originally published in Japanese with the romanized title of Meian.

An NYRB Classics Original A humble clerk and his loving wife scrape out a quiet existence on the margins of Tokyo. Resigned, following years of exile and misfortune, to the bitter consequences of having married without their families’ consent, and unable to have children of their own, Sōsuke and Oyone find the delicate equilibrium of their household upset by a new obligation to meet the educational expenses of Sōsuke’s brash younger brother. While an unlikely new friendship appears to offer a way out of this bind, it also soon threatens to dredge up a past that could once again force them to flee the capital. Desperate and torn, Sōsuke finally resolves to travel to a remote Zen mountain monastery to see if perhaps there, through meditation, he can find a way out of his predicament. This moving and deceptively simple story, a melancholy tale shot through with glimmers of joy, beauty, and gentle wit, is an understated masterpiece by one of Japan’s greatest writers. At the end of his life, Natsume Sōseki declared The Gate, originally published in 1910, to be his favorite among all his novels. This new translation captures the oblique grace of the original while correcting numerous errors and omissions that marred the first English version.

In The Three-Cornered World , an artist leaves city life to wander in the mountains on a quest to stimulate his artistic endeavors. When he finds himself staying at an almost deserted inn, he becomes obsessed with the beautiful and strange daughter of the innkeeper, who is rumored to have abandoned her husband and fallen in love with a priest at a nearby temple. Haunted by her aura of mystery and tragedy, he wants to paint her. As he struggles to complete his picture and sove the enigma of her life, his daily conversations with those at the inn and the village provide clues and inspiration toward solving the mysteries she presents. Natsume Soseki examines each event and scene in this story in minute detail, creating balanced pictures in each small situation. Interspersed with philosophies of both the East and West, Soseki's writing blends two very different cultures and presents the unique world of an artist struggling with his craft and his environment. An evocative picture of the daily life in a mountain village of the times, The Three-Cornered World provokes thought and images equally.