I Am a Cat (1908)

by Natsume Sōseki

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: I Am A Cat (Volumes 1-3)

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2,185	38	7,237	(3.54)	162
Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. Literary Anthologies. HTML:"A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn't have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn't much good for anything except watching human beings in action..." �??The New Yorker /> Written over the course of 1904-1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him. A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the greatest writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's I Am a Cat is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to co… (more)

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▾Member reviews

English (27) Spanish (7) Norwegian (1) Dutch (1) Catalan (1) All languages (37)

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Showing 1-5 of 27 (next | show all)

DNF but I actually didn’t hate it. It’s tragically not really about a cat, which was what I signed up for. It is more about the cats owners and the sort of idiotic nature of being human which is fine. It just takes way too long to repeat essentially the same interaction over and over. I eventually got bored of this and couldn’t continue (

)

willowzz | Jun 27, 2023 |

experimental serialized fiction, collected in one volume and originally published in 1905-06 Japan.

I only got as far as page 22 (the start of the second chapter of 8) -- a hungry calico tortoiseshell stray finds a reluctant home with a struggling writer/artist in Ch. 1; in chapter 2 he appears to have gained some notoreity beyond his human's comprehension.

The introduction notes that the author was still figuring out the best format/length for his serialized essays for the first few installments/chapters, so you expect some unevenness in pacing, but it was pretty boring at this point. I think I've gotten as much out of it that I care to, though other readers (cat fanciers?) might enjoy it more. (

)

reader1009 | Sep 20, 2022 |

That's enough. The cat as narrator is great. But the satire on his master, a dense professor, fails to be winning.

Je9 | Aug 10, 2021 |

A satire in the indirect literary style of that day. Probably of most interest to enthusiasts of Meiji period literature.

quantum.alex | May 31, 2021 |

A "reasonable chuckle". There is a time barrier of a century, cultural barrier of half a planet and a language barrier of thousands of years (of separation between languages) - these might interfere with my appreciation of the book which I imagine had been of more value to its original audience. (

)

Paul_S | Dec 23, 2020 |

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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Natsume Sōseki	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Cholley, Jean	Traducteur, Présentateur	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Cordobés, Fernando	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Ito, Aiko	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Masiá López, Emilio	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Ogihara, Yoko	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Wilson, Graeme	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

I Am A Cat (Volumes 1-3)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Connaissance de l'Orient, Gallimard (47)

Tuttle Classics

岩波文庫緑

新潮文庫

Contains

I am a Cat: Volume I by Natsume Sōseki

I Am a Cat II by Natsume Sōseki

I am a Cat III by Natsume Sōseki

Has the adaptation

Sōseki Natsume's I Am A Cat: The Manga Edition by Chiroru Kobato

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature (German – 1999)

Notable Lists

20 Essential Works of Japanese Literature

Reading the world in 196 books (Japan)

That book for the 21st century

World Ranking of the 100 Best Novels for Boys and Girls

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

I Am a Cat

Original title

吾輩は猫である (Wagahai wa neko de aru)

坑夫

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1905 (original Japanese)

1908

1906 (English)

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Wagahai wa neko de aru (1936 | IMDb)

Wagahai wa neko de aru (1975 | IMDb)

Wagahai wa neko de aru (1982 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

I am a cat.

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Japanese

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. Literary Anthologies. HTML:"A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn't have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn't much good for anything except watching human beings in action..." �??The New Yorker
Written over the course of 1904-1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.
A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of Soseki's best-known novels. Considered by many as the greatest writer in modern Japanese history, Soseki's I Am a Cat is a classic novel sure to be enjoyed for years to co

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