Who was this person?
A Meiji–Taishō novelist and one of the leading writers of modern Japanese literature. Born in Ushigome, Edo, he studied in Britain as an English teacher and won recognition in 1905 with I Am a Cat. Joining the Asahi newspaper, he serialised Sanshirō, And Then, Kokoro and other novels, and mentored many younger writers, including Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.
| Name | Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1867 – 1916 |
| Period | Meiji–Taishō |
| Birthplace | Ushigome Babashita, Edo (now Shinjuku, Tokyo) |
| Also known as | Natsume Kinnosuke (real name) |
| Main achievements |
|
Born the youngest child of a headman's family at Ushigome in Edo; his real name was Kinnosuke. He was sent out for adoption as an infant.
He met and befriended Masaoka Shiki and began using the pen name Sōseki.
He graduated in English literature from the Imperial University.
He became English teacher at Matsuyama Middle School in Ehime, an experience later used in Botchan.
He became a teacher at the Fifth Higher School in Kumamoto.
Sent by the government to study in Britain, he suffered loneliness and anguish.
Back in Japan, he became a lecturer at Tokyo Imperial University.
He published I Am a Cat, which was a great success.
He published Botchan.
He left the university and joined the Asahi newspaper as a staff novelist.
His stomach illness worsened and at Shuzenji his life was briefly in danger.
He published Kokoro.
He died of his stomach illness while writing Meian (Light and Darkness).
A. A Meiji–Taishō novelist and one of the leading writers of modern Japanese literature. Born in Ushigome, Edo, he studied in Britain as an English teacher and won recognition in 1905 with I Am a Cat. Joining the Asahi newspaper, he serialised Sanshirō, And Then, Kokoro and other novels, and mentored many younger writers, including Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.
A. Period: Meiji–Taishō. Born in 1867, died in 1916.
A. Natsume Sōseki was born in Ushigome Babashita, Edo (now Shinjuku, Tokyo).
A. A nameless cat living in the house of Kushami, a middle-school English teacher, describes the humans around him with great humour. Serialised from 1905 in the magazine Hototogisu, it was Sōseki’s debut novel.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Minakata KumagusuSuzuki MiekichiAkutagawa RyūnosukeMasaoka Shiki
Tsuda UmekoFutabatei ShimeiKawakami OtojirōKuroda SeikiMasaoka ShikiToyoda SakichiKōda RohanOzaki Kōyō
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.