The Three Cornered World - by Natsume Soseki (Paperback)

About the Book

A "novelistic expression of the contrast between the Western ethical view of reality and the Eastern ethical view, [in which] an artist ... retreats to a country resort and becomes involved in a series of mysterious encounters with the owner's daughter"--Publisher marketing.

Book Synopsis

The Three Cornered World is the novelistic expression of the contrast between the Western ethical view of reality and the Eastern ethical view by one of Japan's most beloved authors. Natsume Soseki tells of an artist who retreats to a country resort and becomes involved in a series of mysterious encounters with the owner's daughter. Intricately interwoven with the author's reflections on art and nature, conversations with Zen monks and writers of haiku, are a plethora of unique Japanese characters offering the reader an exquisite "word painting."

Review Quotes

"Soseki is the representative modern Japanese novelist, a figure of truly national stature." --Haruki Murakami

"The greatest Japanese novelist of the modern period." --Sunday Telegraph

"A writer to be judged by the highest standards. His works create, after the fashion of all great writers, a new and completely individual reality." --Spectator

"Vastly refreshing . . . Soseki doesn't shrink from seeking and finding exquisite pearls of beauty." --Guardian

About the Author

Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) remains one of the most widely read authors in Japan over a century after his death. Born in Tokyo and educated first at the Imperial University and then in England, he spent many years lecturing to Japanese students on English literature. His novels and essays are known for examining the conflicts between old and new, and between East and West.