Kokoro

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A nineteenth-century Japanese novel concerned with man's loneliness in the modern world. The subject of "Kokoro," which can be translated as "the heart of things" or as "feeling," is the delicate matter of the contrast between the meanings the various parties to a relationship attach to it. In the course of this exploration, Soseki brilliantly describes different levels of friendship, family relationships, and the devices by which men attempt to escape from their fundamental loneliness. The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight. The translation, by Edwin McClellan, is extremely good.