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 naïve 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. Translated by J. Cohn
