Book description
Botchan is a modern young man from the Tokyo metropolis, sent to the
ultra-traditional Matsuyama district as a Maths teacher after his the
death of his parents. Cynical, rebellious and immature, Botchan finds
himself facing several tests, from the pupils - prone to playing
tricks on their new, na ve teacher; the staff - vain, immoral, and in
danger of becoming a bad influence on Botchan; and from his own
as-yet-unformed nature, as he finds his place in the world. One of the
most popular novels in Japan where it is considered a classic of
adolescence, as seminal as The Catcher in the Rye,
Botchan is as funny, poignant and memorable as it was when
first published, over 100 years ago.
In J. Cohn's introduction to his colourful translation, he discusses
Botchan's success, the book's clash between Western
intellectualism and traditional Japanese values, and the importance of
names and nicknames in the novel.
