I Am A Cat

Natsume Soseki · Aiko Ito

Dec 2011 · Tuttle Publishing

About this ebook

"A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn't have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn't much good for anything except watching human beings in action…" --The New Yorker

Written over the course of 1904-1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.

A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the greatest writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's I Am a Cat is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to come.

Ratings and reviews

It's a good reading, though it's hard to understand due to a lot of references of Japanese historical characters.

This book is so cool. This author is sick as I have read his other books. I find it so hard to put down his books.

Simple and a reminder of the understanding and enlightenment one obtains about others and themselves, simply from observing the world around them. All done through the eyes of a cat. A glorious read!

About the author

Born Natsume Kinnosuke, Soseki was brought up in a middle-class family at the beginning of the Meiji period. After an extensive education in English, Chinese, and Japanese literature, Soseki taught English at the University of Tokyo. In 1907, he gave up teaching to devote himself to writing and produced a number of books, including Botchan, The Three-Cornered World, and Mon. He died in Tokyo in 1916.