I am a cat. As yet I have no name. So begins one of the most original and unique works in world literature and one of the classic novels ever written in Japanese. I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsume is the chronicle of an unloved, unwanted, wandering kitten who spends all his time observing human nature-from the dramas of businessmen and schoolteachers to the foibles of priests and potentates.
Begun by Soseki in 1904, and long since a core book for students of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is the seminal novel of the Meiji era and offers a biting commentary-through the prism of Soseki training in Chinese philosophy-of the social upheaval of this time period. Richly allegorical and delightfully readable, I Am a Cat, originally offered in three volumes, has now been brought under one cover in this newly redesigned edition.