![]() ![]() In the short middle section, the narrator returns home to nurse his dying father. We also learn that Sensei has a sadness and cynicism that haunts him. The student is mesmerized by Sensei’s enigmatic manner and admires the man despite proof that he is not a productive member of society. The narrator is an impressionable university student in Tokyo who latches on to an older man he chooses to call Sensei. The story is set in the late Meiji (1868-1912) and early Taisho (1912-1926) eras and explores the evolving Japanese mores of the times, focusing on the contradictory impulses of honoring the common good versus individual needs and desires. Kokoro (which means heart) offers deep insight into the human psyche and investigates several internal struggles, especially the darker sides of admiration, envy and temptation. For my re-introduction to Kokoro, I had the pleasure of reading Meredith McKinney’s 2010 translation. ![]() My first exposure to this book was through Edwin McClellan’s lovely 1957 version. ![]() Thanks for helping support Books on Asia!įirst published in 1914, Natsume Soseki’s timeless classic Kokoro has been graced with three translations. ![]()
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