Botchan

Botchan has a chip on his shoulder. His elder brother is his parents` obvious favorite and Botchan only receives any attention at all if he misbehaves. After his parents die, Botchan is cut off by his brother and drifts into a job teaching math in a small provincial town far from the big city. Thrust into this alien environment, Botchan finds nothing but trouble--from his nosy landlord; his students, who delight in tormenting him; his fellow teachers, each of whom he christens with a sly nickname--Porcupine, Green Squash, Badger, Red Shirt--and others who insist on complicating his life. The result is chaos, told with great wit and irony that make this Soseki`s funniest novel. A modern classic in Japan, Botchan is as widely read today as when it was first published, occupying a place in the canon similar to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Catcher in the Rye. Botchan`s coming-of-age quest to navigate the hypocrisy of his peers while remaining true to what is honest and good never fails to capture the hearts and imaginations of readers.