Ten Nights Dreaming: and The Cat's Grave

author: Natsume Sōseki
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/06
date added: 2015/10/06
shelves:
review:
'Ten Nights Dreaming & The Cat's Grave' is a reprint of classics by Natsume Soseki. I was not familiar with these short works but I enjoyed reading them.

'Ten Nights Dreaming' is a series of short vignettes describing dreams that the author has had. There are themes of alienation, like a Japanese man on a ship with Westerners, or claustrophobia or entrapment. There is a dying man and his hat, and another that takes place in a barbershop. In all, things are ethereal or distorted, much as they are in our dreams.

The second section of this book is a short story called 'The Cat's Grave' and it's about the slow decline and eventual death of a beloved pet. Although this cat story is sad it seems that it was the model for a later satirical story called 'I Am A Cat.'

I liked the translation by Matt Treyvaud, and the various notes and introductions. The explanations helped my understanding and appreciation of the setting and times of the works. I was not familiar with this writer, but his ability to describe a dream was an interesting experience to read.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://ift.tt/1JRucQW