Scan barcode
A review by dyingotters
Sanshirō by Natsume Sōseki
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Tokyo is bigger than Kumamoto. And Japan is bigger than Tokyo. And even bigger than Japan…Even bigger than Japan is the inside of your head. Don’t ever surrender yourself—not to Japan, not to anything.”
Technically the second time I’ve read something by Natsume Soseki (I read half of I Am a Cat, doesn’t really count). His writing, and Jay Rubin’s translation, has this kind of whimsical feel to it. It can easily be funny as it can be profound. This book delivered way more than what I was expecting. Nothing happens in the story, it was about some country boy who moved to Tokyo for university. Yet in between the nothingness—Sanshiro hangs out with friends, Sanshiro tries to return borrowed money, Sanshiro struggles with women—Natsume Soseki somehow delivered thought-provoking social commentaries. He really captured the essence of the Meiji era, a time of modernization, Westernization, and a general conflict between old and new for Japan. Not only that, he was able to make the main character relatable and the dynamics intriguing. I understood everything Sanshiro felt, a university student living in the city, with older generations he look up to and peers he try to connect to, with the vague feeling that in a society that is rapidly changing, he was apart of something bigger than himself. I’d love to read this in its original language someday.
Technically the second time I’ve read something by Natsume Soseki (I read half of I Am a Cat, doesn’t really count). His writing, and Jay Rubin’s translation, has this kind of whimsical feel to it. It can easily be funny as it can be profound. This book delivered way more than what I was expecting. Nothing happens in the story, it was about some country boy who moved to Tokyo for university. Yet in between the nothingness—Sanshiro hangs out with friends, Sanshiro tries to return borrowed money, Sanshiro struggles with women—Natsume Soseki somehow delivered thought-provoking social commentaries. He really captured the essence of the Meiji era, a time of modernization, Westernization, and a general conflict between old and new for Japan. Not only that, he was able to make the main character relatable and the dynamics intriguing. I understood everything Sanshiro felt, a university student living in the city, with older generations he look up to and peers he try to connect to, with the vague feeling that in a society that is rapidly changing, he was apart of something bigger than himself. I’d love to read this in its original language someday.