I Am a Cat 吾輩は猫である

Released in series from 1905 to 1906, this novel is surprising. Beautifully written by Soseki (1867-1916), a great name of twentieth century literature, the the story unfolds of a cat taken in by a naive and grumpy teacher during the Meiji era (1898-1912 ). This unnamed cat observes, teases and steals a lot. But above all he comments on living in a house, human customs and the strange people gravitating the professor of English literature. An acidic novel with delicious notes of black humor.

Connaissancede l'orient, Gallimard/Unesco, 1978.