Kokoro

Natsume Sōseki · 1867–1916 · Japan

Originally Kokoro (Japanese)

Why it matters

A student, an enigmatic Sensei, and a long confession of guilt from Japan's turn into the modern age. The most widely read serious novel in Japan: loneliness as the price of the new era, weighed exactly.

At a glance

Clear, measured prose, though its confessional structure rewards careful reading.