KOKORO by Natsume Soseki

[@ConnorGrail]

This one really gripped me, I spent the whole time trying to piece together what had happened to Sensei, but when it all finally came together instead of satisfaction I just felt hollow. I'm definitely intrigued to read more Japanese classics after that

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That is a perfect description of my experience, too! I was thinking the whole time--what could possibly have happened to cause all this level of psychological schism. What hit me hardest was the fact that Sensei put such a heavy burden on the student (can't remember his name)! I'm still trying to sort that one out.

[@ConnorGrail]

@@LeafbyLeaf I'm not sure that he actually was given a name, which is something I also noticed while reading

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Aaaahhhhh, that makes sense. That makes a more generic everyman.

[@im_bloo6188]

You know, in my opinion, after reading “Kokoro”, I felt that in a way the reader was meant to place themselves within the shoes of the student. Throughout the book, I felt as if I was truly within the story, actin as the student, and this made the impact of the novel formidable.

[@nicolasmoreno95]

Coming in a year later just to leave my share. The student is left with a heavy burden but I think it is Sensei’s wife who gets the worst part. She never gets to know the truth and many times she blamed herself for Sensei’s sadness. In the end, Sensei’s final act doomed her for life.

[@AbdullahADH]

You have no idea how much I appreciate fellow Sōseki readers. My favorite author by far, I've read 13 of his novels thus far and every time I'm blown away by this man's genius. My favorites from him are "Kokoro" and "Grass on the Wayside". Please explore even more! I've read some Mishima and while not a huge fan, I know a lot of people like him. Dazai is brilliant as well, and so is Akutagawa!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks for the recommendations! And, yes, I look forward to reading more Sōseki!

[@arhitagreen5273]

What an earnest and thorough review.... I just finished reading kokoro and was blown away by the punch in the end especially so because of how raw it was. I struggled to understand the 'clash of culture' that many reviews mentioned it had, which I didn't evidently see but your review offered that help :) Keep up the good work!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Yeah, that punch at the end was sort of...silently devastating. Glad you found the video useful! All my best!

[@lalitborabooks]

You should definitely try ‘The Sailor who fell from grace with the sea’. It is short, crisp and packs a punch. A huge punch to be honest.

[@kursverzeichnis1297]

I haven't read that, but I too would recommend Mishima. Confessions of a Mask for the masterful depictions of the protagonist's inner conflicts and The Golden Pavillon for it's reflections on beauty and the protagonist's struggle to connect to or influence the world around him.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I plan on reading that very book as my next modern Japanese novel (The Sailor...)!

[@Ferrari1504]

Have you read mishima's sea of fertility tetralogy? If so, how is it? I have the first 2 books of it on deck.

[@lalitborabooks]

@@LeafbyLeaf hope you like it

[@lalitborabooks]

@@Ferrari1504 I’m afraid I haven’t. But I definitely plan on reading whole of Mishima’s bibliography

[@joaoborges6645]

I read "Sanshiro" by Soseki last year. I'm one of those people that every time I find a reference to a book, or an author, within a book I have to look it up. In this case it was actually "Kafka on the shore", which I also read last year, where Soseki is referenced. :) Kokoro is also on my to read list.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I'm the same way: any book that's referenced (whether in a book, a movie, another person, etc.) I take note of and seek out. I'll be reading Kafka on the Shore next month!

[@eric13th18]

The Face of Another by Kobo Abe. It's difficult/dry in places because he puts a lot of technical detail about making this mask, but it is so worth getting through. It's basically a study of what faces actually mean in society, how our faces impact our lives and so on.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Another KZbinr, paperbird, put that one on my radar. But now I have the recommendation affirmed by a scholar!

[@joseramirez-hh2sw]

Just found you and I'm subscribing. Im glad you decided to pick up the book and I'm blown away by how earnest you are in your passion for literature. I really love kokoro. I think I might die on a hill to defend kokoro but I can say that about other great novels as well. That said I'm looking forward to see more of what you experience throughout your tour of Japanese classic literature if you decide to embark.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Glad you found me! Welcome! Literature, for me, is nothing short of a way of life. No clue how I could survive without it. Kokoro was an amazing entrance into this leg of my journey.

[@jameshumphries7272]

Kobo Abe's Beyond the Curve is one of my favorite short story collections. I also have a copy of Dawn to the West: Japanese Literature in the Modern Era by Donald Keene published in 1984. As always I look forward to your videos. I also purchased the new edition of Novel Explosives😉.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much for those recommendations. That Keene series looks solid!

[@Sachie465]

I agree with everything you say here. Souseki suffers from a severe illness in 1910. After that he naturally focuses more on death and things precedes or surrounds death (illness(physical and mental), poverty, repentance, transience, etc.). As I grow older I am more attracted to these subjects. Anyway, we can enjoy some of the Souseki’s novels even if you are 9 or 99y.o. I think that is why he is so popular here in Japan.

[@gurkepro]

I've read Kokoro a few years ago and you've really made me want to revisit it soon. I really enjoy the love with which you speak of these great books. Also a few recommendations: Sanshiro - Soseki: Another beautiful and devastating novel about a confused japanese youth. A lot of similar themes to Kokoro and I'd love to hear your take on it. Beauty and Sadness - Kawabata: The way Kawabata writes about Nature and people can maybe best be described as truly japanese. I always feel like there is some key element missing with him in translation (even more so than with other japanese translations), but I think he'd be a good person to include on your journey in modern japanese literature. A Personal Matter - Oe: Very different and still quite shocking, but (in my opinion) also an essential book. A lot of western influences in that one too. Sorry for rambling, it's great to have you around.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much for all this! Don’t ever apologize for “rambling”-I really appreciate the insight.

[@ragtimepants]

I'm in awe of everything I've managed to read from Tanizaki. I haven't read "Kokoro" yet but I love "I am a Cat." Thanks for the review.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I've added Tanizaki to the list, thanks! I want to read more Soseki, too, and I think I Am a Cat would be a good next read.

[@NapoleanThePug]

Those are four good novels to start with for sure (Snow Country, Kokoro, Sailer Who Fell From Grace, and Woman in the Dunes). Many modern Japanese novels explore the theme of old imperial Japan vs new westernized Japan. It was understandably on the minds and hearts of Japanese writers in the first half of the 21st century. My favorite to do so is Kawabata's Master of Go, in which an aging Go champion takes on a young, western-influenced challenger. That novel gets into the strategy of this ancient game, contrasting the "master" who loved to play in the formal style, embracing the deep love and tradition of the game itself, with the young challenger, who takes a very scientific, analytical, and clinical approach to win at all costs.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You've sold me on Master of Go!

[@eric13th18]

If you're interested, Donald Keene tends to be the go-to for Western scholarship for Japan

[@LeafbyLeaf]

He's on my list!

[@marinamaccagni5253]

Awesome book! Awesome review!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Grazie attente!

[@judithwyer389]

Akutigawa's Green Onions, a masterpiece of profound brevity

[@vaseemsherief9280]

Ohhhh I can't wait hear what you think of 'The Sailor who fell from grace with the sea'!!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Should be getting around to it soon!

[@P.EnglishLiterature]

New sub here, I loved your review, the book sounds like a great one, and the name of the Novel is somewhat funny to me, Kokoro, it literally means "Insect" in my country (Nigeria) Yoruba language, 😅😅 Nice one by the way.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Welcome! That’s funny. In Japanese it means something like “the heart of the matter.” Great to hear from you!

[@P.EnglishLiterature]

@@LeafbyLeaf Haha. In other way round, with a different pronunciation but the same spelling in Yoruba Nigeria Language, it also means, "Key" haha. You know, languages are mad😅 and God is really amazing in creating them. Yeah, it's nice to find your Channel, I love it. I'm also an author, would you like to review my book, I can send a copy across to you via Amazon.🙏😊❤️ I will also love to discuss this further, if there is any criteria that I need to pass through. 😊

[@eric13th18]

I absolutely loved Kokoro. I'm in my final year of uni and my degree is in Japanese Studies and English Lit so Kokoro was an obvious read for me. It's absolutely beautiful.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Very nice! I envy you. I want to be back in school so bad!

[@winstonsmith77]

Everyone gangsta until he reads ‘No longer human’ by Osamu Dazai or The adaptation of it by Junji Ito and gets depression.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Haha--I've had my eye on that and others by Dazai ever since @paperbird did a video a while back.

[@winstonsmith77]

@@LeafbyLeaf keep in mind that the Junji Ito manga adaptation is psychological horror and I still haven't recovered from his previous works(Uzumaki would be a good starting point)

[@lizarda87]

'The Setting Sun' is also great by Dazai

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😱

[@winstonsmith77]

@@LeafbyLeaf but I still do reccomend him. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

[@이민-h6h]

Wow look at the bookshelves behind.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

This is my paradise.

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

I read the Tale of Genji a few months ago. I was told to stick at it for the first 100 to 200 pages. I di like it, but it is a slog. The book should end at Genji, imho, but somebody completed it after Murasake's death, possibly her daughter, it is a step change from then on and I struggled to finish it. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think it's one of those books I will go on reading. Kokoro has been on my list since I watched a video by John David here. I am going to get a copy now, I read a lot of history as well as big novels and he has given me a lot of good recommendations, so i trust him. I only found your channel a couple of days ago, but i already like your deep reading and trust your judgement.

[@gregmoore167]

The Makioka sisters is a great book for learning about Japanese society in the first half of the 20th century, particularly the middle and upper classes!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much-it’s on the list!

[@gregmoore167]

@@LeafbyLeaf Also try Ryunosuke Akutagawa; some of his stories makes me feel like I am reading a book that is a mixture of Dostoevsky, Kafka, and Salinger, with a bit of Chaucer thrown in if he was Japanese!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I don’t think I’ve gotten that recommendation before, and the way you’ve described his work makes me want to skip work and read it all day! Thank you! Is there a particular title with which I should start?

[@kumaridesilva3992]

I struggled with the tale of Genji when I was in college using the Edward Seidensticker translation that was considered the best translation at the time. It was way too dry. I stumbled across an abbreviated (and simplified) translation by Suematsu Kencho. This made all the difference. From there I was able to enjoy Arthur Waley's translation. Yes! Genji can actually be enjoyable if taken in small doses. I don't know if I would ever tackle a complete translation - that would be quite a project

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much for the tips!

[@april_ludgate]

I found your channel thru the recommendation and let me just say I love (almost) all your books. I'm gonna start reading William T. Vollmann's books because of you starting with You Bright and Risen Angels. Looking forward for more of your vlogs. ♥️

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Glad you found me! YBARA is somewhat of an anomaly against the rest of Vollmann's output. I think the best introduction to him is THE ATLAS. But--YBARA is insane in such a great way. Enjoy!

[@april_ludgate]

@@LeafbyLeaf I found the plot for YBARA very intriguing and unique but I'm gonna take your word for it and start at The Atlas first, read the synopsis and it's very interesting and considering also its only around 500 pages unlike YBARA with a thousand pages long. I am now gonna start my Vollmann journey. LOL Thank you!!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Right on! I have a video on The Atlas too, to whet your appetite. It’s the book I always recommend for introducing WTV. Enjoy!

[@april_ludgate]

@@LeafbyLeaf Gonna watch your vid first before reading The Atlas! Haha

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@bad-girlbex3791]

On a completely unrelated and somewhat random note....you have an incredibly beautiful accent and speaking voice! x

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Why thank you ☺️

[@marcelhidalgo1076]

Glad you'll be reading Mishima's Sailor... and Abe's Woman in the Dunes. I highly recommend Mishima's Confessions of a Mask. Plan on reading Abe's The Face of Another because it sounds very promising.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’ve added those to my list-thanks!

[@marcelhidalgo1076]

@@LeafbyLeaf reading So Loud A Solitude now. Enjoying it.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Awesome! I love that little hard-hitter!

[@Samurai_cop64]

I'm so glad I found your channel. I read this book and loved it as well. The ending made me weep. A subscribe from me😊

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much! All my best to you!

[@Ferrari1504]

Good review. I want to get to soseki, i loved the woman in the dunes, sailor who fell from grace with the sea and some other mishima novels, snow country, and the short stories and palm of the hand stories from mishima and kawabata. The economy and implications of japanese classics really appeal to me.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much! I look forward to continuing my journey through these authors.

[@kaidoloveboat1591]

Everything by Mishima is worth reading. Shusaku Endo is amazing, especially Silence, but he wrote many great novels. Nobuo Kojima, Shotaro Yasuoka, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Junzo Shono, Ayako Sono, Shumon Miura, and Hiroyuki Agawa are all worth looking into. Since you're interested in philosophy, you should check out the thinkers of the Kyoto School. Robert N. Bellah has some interesting works on Japanese culture, and Masao Abe and Makoto Fujimura have some interesting writings as well.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much for this! I did look into Endo’s Silence (one of the few Japanese Christian novels) and was really intrigued. Looks like I have some shopping to do!

[@kaidoloveboat1591]

@@LeafbyLeaf I think you'll really like Endo. I don't remember where I read this, but I once read that he is hailed as the Japanese Graham Greene

[@MaximTendu]

A very pleasant review. My wife and I are massive suckers for his I Am A Cat, but it's twice and a half the length of Kokoro. Another Japanese writer I would recommend is Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. Some of his short stories are literary perfection. As for my copy of The Tale Of Genji, I've planned to pick it up in 2023.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I Am a Cat is next on my list for Soseki! Thanks for the recommendation on Akutagawa.

[@xgryphenx]

For contemporary stuff it's definitely worth your time to check out the "other Murakami"-Ryu Murakami. Especially recommended is his novel Coin Locker Babies. Unlike anything I've read from anywhere. Beyond bizarre.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

It's on the list (it may have been you, possibly, who initially recommended it). Just the title sounds bizarre!

[@DukeNico]

@@LeafbyLeaf I'll add to that Ecstasy, which analyses the occidental pleasure culture clashing with the traditional japanese way of life. That and also being batshit crazy of course!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I just realized that this was the author behind the movie adaptation of Audition (Takashi Miike), which I watched back in my horror hound days!

[@dqan7372]

The Japanese author I've read most is Shusaku Endo: "The Sea and Poison", "Wonderful Fool", "Volcano", and, I think, "Silence". Started "The Samurai", but didn't get far. Also read Tanizaki's "Makioka Sisters", Yukio Mishima's "The Sound of Waves", and Kenzaburo Oe's "Somersault". Oh, forgot Murakami. Four Haruki Murakami novels and two short story collections. According to GR, I've also read Akira Yoshimura's "Shipwrecks". I might check out that Marvin Marcus book before I pick my next. I've got several waiting on my shelves.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Very nice! I am adding Endo’s Silence to my short list. Thanks for these recs!

[@spinecrackers1497]

excellent review as usual. We had a great time a few months back with The Miner.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! Right on!

[@B4CKWARDS_CH4RM]

Im the type of reader who reads mostly American novels, so when I jumped over to Kokoro the difference in style was certainly jarring. I found it to be a bit boring to start, but by the end I could barely put it down. I was stunned by how well the themes of the book could be crafted with such plain language. Your talking about Kafka on the Shore also reminded me a bit of how they are stylistically similar in many ways. However, of course, I don’t think Kafka on the Shore comes close to the depth Soseki writes with in Kokoro.

[@Fiction_Beast]

i read kokoro about 10 years ago, and had totally forgotten the story, so this was wonderful for me to remember the tale. My favorite novel by Soseki is Botchan. A satire with some wonderfully funny scenes. It's also considered a novel that depicts the old Japan vs new japan. You rightly said Soseki was the product of Meiji reform and also a great novelist who captured the transformation that came about as a result of Meiji period changes. Incidentally he lived in London for two years and hated it (weather i think).

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’ll add Botchan to my list. Thanks for some of your insight into Japanese literature back when we first talked!

[@delmajima1221]

The irony, is Murakamis next collection that comes out in English next month, is titled First Person Singular, in which they're all "i" stories

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😂😜

[@taciturnips]

I just read all four of those books last year. All great reads. I would look at "A Personal Matter" by Oe, especially as he seems to be quite a big influence on Murakami.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks for this recommendation!

[@taciturnips]

I’ve received so many great recommendations from your videos. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on Japanese lit.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! It’s going to be great expanding my literary awareness!

[@lionelbelanger6242]

You seemed to enjoy this book. I found Schiller's poem "Entgotterung der natur} ,it was the cover story on time sometime during 1980-82 [demystification of nature] a much more accurate work foreshadowing cultural change. Try this book," Dream of the red chamber" for a more accurate cultural book. I have spent the last 10+ years studying Japanese and feel the report of change that he anticipated is still not come.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Dream of the Red Chamber is the same as Story if the Stone novel cycle, right? I have all five books. Just haven’t read them yet.

[@lionelbelanger6242]

@@LeafbyLeaf Yes, it's the same series.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Great, thanks!

[@b1oho]

Published 3rd May in the UK Japanese Literature: From Murasaki to Murakami by Marvin Marcus (Ordered) Just read Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Sorry not for me. Going by the reviews I was expecting some thing amazing.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I found the Marcus text to be a perfect, thin, no-nonsense primer on the scope of Japanese literature. I am wary of resources like Wikipedia, so I like to have texts that have been peer-reviewed and edited by scholars. (Plus, I love printed texts.) I've not read Ishiguro yet, but I think I have one of his books at least.

[@james2529]

I read Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro and was massively disappointed and bored.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Drats! I think that’s the one I have.

[@TheLastSisyphus]

Love this! Great job!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Many thanks!

[@cristinaa3186]

I read Mishima long ago, but The Sailor and The temple if the Golden Pavilion still resonate with me. I love In praise of shadows, by Tanizaki, and I think Botchan, Kokoro and All Kawabata, are already classics. I didn’t connect with contemporary authors like Yoshimoto Banana.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I haven’t connected with Banana or Mieko Kawakami yet myself. Really looking forward to Mishima, Kawabata, and Tanizaki!

[@PJK17]

Hi Chris, first time commenter here. I just graduated from college recently and your videos really kickstarted my forays into reading more diversely. I really appreciate how in-depth you are with your analyses of great literature and I aspire to be as well read and articulate as you one day. Might seems kinda out-of-place asking this, but where did you get your reading chair from? Reading on a couch is not doing wonders for my posture haha.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Welcome, JayKay! Congrats on your graduation. (Now you're real education begins!) The life of literature is a journey that invigorates every day of your life. Here is the link to the exact chair I bought. It's an investment, but worth it: www.westelm.com/products/lucas-leather-swivel-base-chair-h1545/

[@PJK17]

@@LeafbyLeaf Thanks for the well wishes and the speedy reply! I really appreciate it!

[@patf6957]

Heike in Heike Monogatari is pronounced Hay-kay: translate.google.com/?sl=en&tl=ja&text=tale%20of%20heike&op=translate Japanese phonemes map relatively well onto English - unlike Chinese. Any dialect of Chinese.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Ah, thanks so much! I usually try to acquaint myself with pronunciations I'm unsure of before the videos, but this one slipped by. Much appreciated!

[@lionelbelanger6242]

Anything for V. S. Naipaul or Paul Theroux, two of my favorites. In search of by vsn, happy isles by pt

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I have yet to read any Naipaul (though I do have Enigma of Return), and I've not read any of P. Theroux, though I've read all of his brother's published work.

[@lionelbelanger6242]

@@LeafbyLeaf ❤❤😍😍

[@lionelbelanger6242]

Do you ever review poetry?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Iliad, Odyssey, Canterbury Tales, Hamlet, and a collection from Terrance Hayes are all out here. As it happens, I’ll be posting a review of Louise Glück’s poetry in a couple weeks. Nonetheless, I do want to start posting more poetry videos. I just finished reading all of Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’s poetry.

[@lionelbelanger6242]

Try The Grenadiers, by Heinrich Heine. It should find a spot in any intellectual Francophile's heart. I lived in Germany for 9 years and picked up the language with an almost native fluency retired from the army and went to school, pre-med. I fell so in love with my literature courses I changed majors, LOL, followed my heart but to money in a degree like that, is there. I also have a working knowledge of Spanish and a bit of French and I am studying Japanese in hopes of building more synapses to stave off cognitive decline, Please overlook any typos as I am now legally blind.

[@benjones1717]

It's a bit meaningless to read an old book like The tale of Genji without a teachers help. Even Kokoro is pretty divorced from today.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

This is precisely why I am so thankful for good teachers.