The I-novel is a genre much maligned and misunderstood, but its lasting effects on Japanese literature are undeniable.
To many literary critics, it is an outdated, narrow genre confined to a specific time and place at the beginning of the 20th century. Yet I-novels (shishōsetsu or watakushi shōsetsu) provided a cultural bridge for early 20th century writers to cross beyond Confucian ideals of highbrow literature into a landscape that allowed modern fiction to flourish.
Reconciliation, by Naoya ShigaTranslated by Ted Goossen160 pagesCANONGATE BOOKS