Natsume Soseki

Botchan Natsume Soseki

One of the most popular novels in Japan, Botchan is the story of a young graduate who takes up his first teaching post at Matsuyama middle school in the countryside. Botchan, a native of Tokyo views Matsuyama as a small backwater town with unusual customs. Strong willed and with the spirit of Edokko, Botchan soon finds himshelf at odds with the town and with the school. Written in 1906, Botchan is based on the authors own experience as a teacher at Matsuyama Middle School in 1895 and can be viewed as semiautobiographical.