I Am a Cat

2010-12-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hello there. In case you were not already aware, I am a cat. I also happen to be a huge fan of Natusme Sōseki's literary masterpiece, Wagahai wa neko de aru (I Am a Cat). This text, written my the masterful creator of Kokoro, is a satirical novel, told from the perspective of a house cat. This house cat records the life and times of himself and his bumbling idiot of a master, telling anecdotal tales in a comical manner. The greater purpose of the work, however, is to illuminate for the reader the eclectic mixture of the then new modern Western culture with traditional Japanese values.

As a young cat, in this modern age of technology, it took me some time to come across this fantastic work. Indeed, I did not learn of this famous work of literature until a friend of mine informed me about the author. You see, his owner happened to be something of an expert on Japanese literature, so he would often read such works if his owner happened to leave them out. What a lucky cat!

In any event, I am quite fortunate to have read such a work. Ironically, I have my own insanely stupid master to thank for this opportunity. One day, he just happened to be thumbing through the text (though of course, he would have been far to ignorant to comprehend its significance). He was then called out to lunch by my none other than my friend's master, who recommended and lent him the text in the first place. What an interesting coincidence! In any event, it was then that I first had the pleasure of reading Sōseki's great serialization.

So as a fan of both modern Japanese literature and the genius of satire, I strongly encourage you to dedicate some time to this gem. Among Japanese authors, I submit to you that you would be hard pressed to find a writer as in tune with the spirit and intelligence of felines as Sōseki's.

Neko Desu

I Am a Cat