Sanshiro

Sanshiro (1908) is a novel by Natsume Soseki. Inspired by the author’s experience as a student from the countryside who moved to Tokyo, Sanshiro is a story of family, growth, and identity that captures the isolation and humor of adjusting to life on one’s own. Recognized as a powerful story by generations of readers, Sanshiro is a classic novel from one of Japan’s most successful twentieth century writers.

Raised on the island of Kyushu, Sanshiro Ogawa excels in high school and earns the chance to continue his studies at the University of Tokyo. On his way there, he naively accepts an invitation to share a room with a young woman in Nagoya, realizing only too late that she has other things than sleep in mind. As he adjusts to life in the big city, he finds himself stumbling into more uncomfortable situations with women, radical political figures, and interfering colleagues, all of which shape his sense of identity w