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Inside My Glass Doors book cover
Inside My Glass Doors
1915
First Published
3.87
Average Rating
161
Number of Pages

Originally published as Garusudo no Uchi in daily serialization in the Asahi newspaper in 1915, before appearing in book form, this is the first time Inside My Glass Doors has been published in English. It is a moving literary reminiscence, a collection of thirty-nine autobiographical essays penned a year before the author's death. Written in the genre of shohin (little items), the personal vignettes provide a kaleidoscopic view of Natsume Soseki's private world and shed light on his concerns as a novelist. Readers are at once ushered into Soseki's book-lined study, in his residence in Kikui-cho, as he muses on his present situation and reflects on the past. The story is filled with flashbacks to Soseki's youth-his classmates, his family, and his old neighborhood-as well as episodes from the more recent past, all related in considerable detail. There are his characteristic ruminations about his physical well-being, and from the quiet spaces inside the glass doors of his study, he also calmly observes the clamorous state of the world outside. The essays in this book, crafted with extraordinary subtlety and psychological depth, reflect the work of a great author at the height of his powers. In his introduction to the work, Dr. Marvin Marcus provides a fresh perspective on Soseki the man and writer, as well as an insightful commentary on the novel itself and the place of reminiscence in Soseki's writings. A selection of photographs of Soseki and his family and friends add further interest to the book.

Avg Rating
3.87
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Author

Natsume Soseki
Natsume Soseki
Author · 36 books
Natsume Sōseki (夏目 漱石), born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助), was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note. In Japan, he is often considered the greatest writer in modern Japanese history. He has had a profound effect on almost all important Japanese writers since.
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