Translated by Francis Mathy
With a new introduction by Damian Flanagan
One of the central masterpieces of twentieth-century
Japanese literature, The Gate describes the everyday world
of the humble clerk Sosuke and his wife Oyone, living
in quiet obscurity in a house at the bottom of a cliff.
Seemingly cursed with the inability to have children, the
couple find themselves having to take responsibility for
Sosuke’s younger brother Koroku.
Oyone’s health begins to fail, and news that her
estranged ex-husband will be visiting nearby finally
promotes a sense of crisis in Sosuke and forces him temporarily
to quit his life of quiet domesticity.
Highly prized for the beauty of its description of the
understated love between Sosuke and Oyone, the novel has
nevertheless remained in many ways mysterious. An analysis
of the novel by Damian Flanagan casts fresh insights
into its complex symbolism and ideas, establishing The
Gate as one of the most profound works of the modern age.
Published in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and
the Sasakawa Foundation, The Gate is part of an international
programme to bring one of Japan’s
most popular author to a new international audience.
‘A sensitive, skilfully written novel by the most widely
read Japanese author of modern times.’ – Guardian
‘Soseki’s prose is so delicate that each page is like
looking at a set of dreamy watercolours.’ – Sunday Telegraph
‘The Gate is not so much tragic or comic as a graceful
balance between the dispiriting and the humorous . . . The
Gate is surely the kind of writing we need – a masterpiece
of taste and clarity. Francis Mathy’s translation must
be warmly commended.’ – New Statesman
NATSUME SOSEKI (1867
- 1916) is one of the great writers of the modern world.
Educated at Tokyo Imperial University, he was sent to England
in 1900 as a government scholar. As one of the first Japanese
writers to be influenced by Western culture, his various
works are read by virtually all Japanese, and contemporary
authors in Japan continue to be influenced by his œuvre.
Also by the same author:
THE
TOWER OF LONDON.
THE
THREE-CORNERED WORLD
KOKORO
