Botchan (Penguin Classics)

Botchan (Penguin Classics)

<p>Botchan is a modern young man from the Tokyo metropolis, sent to the ultra-traditional Matsuyama district as a Maths teacher after his the death of his parents. Cynical, rebellious and immature, Botchan finds himself facing several tests, from the pupils - prone to playing tricks on their new, naïve teacher; the staff - vain, immoral, and in danger of becoming a bad influence on Botchan; and from his own as-yet-unformed nature, as he finds his place in the world. One of the most popular novels in Japan where it is considered a classic of adolescence, as seminal as <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>, <i>Botchan</i> is as funny, poignant and memorable as it was when first published, over 100 years ago.</p><p>In J. Cohn's introduction to his colourful translation, he discusses <i>Botchan</i>'s success, the book's clash between Western intellectualism and traditional Japanese values, and the importance of names and nicknames in the novel.</p>