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

'A sensitive, skilfully written novel by the most widely read Japanese author of modern times'Guardian

'Soseki's prose is so delicate that each page is like looking at a set of dreamy watercolours'Telegraph

Humble clerk Sosuke and his wife Oyone live in a modest house at the bottom of a cliff. Oyone was once married to another man; now her adultery seems to hang over the couple's marriage like a curse. Despite multiple pregnancies, they have no living children; and once affluent, Sosuke finds his income growing ever smaller. They are left with little besides each other and a beautiful painted screen to remind them of better days.

Then a series of crises rocks this shabby but harmonious domestic existence. Sosuke's wastrel brother moves in; the couple find themselves forced to sell the screen to buy winter shoes; and Oyone's ex-husband is rumoured to be visiting a wealthy neighbour at the top of the cliff. Beset by reminders of his flaws and failures, Sosuke runs away to a temple, hoping to escape into enlightenment. But can he learn what the monks have to teach him? Will he return to Oyone changed - at all? One of the great works of the literature of indecision, this is also one of the founding texts of modern Japanese letters.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Francis Mathy

With an introduction by Damian Flanagan

Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) was one of Japan's most prominent novelists of the Meiji Era. After studying in England on a government scholarship, Soseki taught English literature at Tokyo University, but the immense success of his satirical novel I Am a Cat led to his own career as a writer. A highly influential figure viewed as the father of modern Japanese letters, from 1984 until 2004 his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1,000-yen note. Pushkin Press publishes several of his major novels, including Kokoro and The Three-Cornered World.

About the Author
Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) was one of Japan's most prominent novelists of the Meiji Era. After studying in England on a government scholarship, Soseki taught English literature at Tokyo University, but the immense success of his satirical novel I Am a Cat led to his own career as a writer. A highly influential figure viewed as the father of modern Japanese letters, from 1984 until 2004 his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1,000-yen note. Pushkin Press publishes several of his major novels, including Kokoro and The Three-Cornered World.

Reviews
Soseki is the representative modern Japanese novelist, a figure of truly national stature * Haruki Murakami *
A sensitive, skilfully written novel by the most widely read Japanese author of modern times * Guardian *
Soseki's prose is so delicate that each page is like looking at a set of dreamy watercolours * Telegraph *
The Gate is not so much tragic or comic as a graceful balance between the dispiriting and the humorous... A masterpiece of taste and clarity. Francis Mathy's translation must be warmly commended * New Statesman *



Book Information
ISBN 9781805332510
Author Natsume Soseki
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Pushkin Press Classics
Publisher Pushkin Press