I the hangover
Ich der Kater ( Japanese 吾輩 は 猫 で あ る , Wagahai wa Neko de aru ) is a satirical novel written by Natsume Sōseki . It was published chapter by chapter from January 1905 to August 1906 in the journal Hototogisu .
The work has been adapted several times: in 1936 as a feature film by Kajirō Yamamoto , in 1958 as a five-part television series, in 1963 as a television film and as an episode of a literary film adaptation for children, in 1975 as a feature film by Kon Ichikawa and a television film.
overview
The main character and narrator in Sōseki's first work is a nameless tomcat who finds accommodation in the household of the English professor Rarus Schneutz shortly after his birth. There he describes the life and antics of his "owner", his servants and students in a biting satirical tone. The characteristic opening sentences of the novel to enjoy a very high today recognizable and are often quoted in Japanese and parodied:
「吾輩 は 猫 で あ る。 名 前 は ま だ 無 い。」
“Allow me, I'm a hangover! Unnamed so far. "
background
The novel Sōsekis was written on the recommendation of Takahama Kyoshi , who also published in the haiku magazine Hototogisu , in order to satisfy the growing demand for longer prose at the time. So in January 1905 the first chapter of Ich, der Kater , appeared, which was conceived as a self-contained short story . (Since Takahama was only involved in the writing of this chapter, a stylistic difference to the rest of the book can be determined.) Due to the great popularity of the story, Sōseki wrote and published ten more chapters on Takahama's advice by August 1906, which contributed to the popularity of the magazine helped a remarkable rise, turning Hototogisu from a simple haiku publication into an influential culture magazine.
The character of the tomcat, the animal protagonist and narrator of the novel, is based on a real abandoned tomcat that the 37-year-old Sōseki took into his household. Sōseki became so fond of the animal that when he died on September 13, 1908, he informed his closest friends about the sad occurrence, and soon afterwards published a collection of essays called "The Grave of a Cat".
The Hangover
A nameless, formerly ownerless tomcat who appears as the first-person narrator and protagonist of the novel. He observes the life and work of his human contemporaries with undisguised mockery and is amused by their bizarre, inexplicable and not least extremely stupid behavior. In the course of the story, his romantic feelings for the cat Mikeko (Eng. "Madame Tortoiseshell") come more and more to the fore.
The cat's very characteristic way of speaking and personality forms the basis for the satirical effect of the work: Despite its inconspicuous nature, he is not only superior to everyone in terms of intellectual sharpness, but also has a remarkable education and shows himself in topics such as art , Very knowledgeable about literature and philosophy . It is easy for him to see right through people.
The contradictory charm of the figure is underlined by his striking and characteristic style of speech , which is already evident in the Japanese title of the novel ( Wagahai wa neko de aru ): The self-designation "Wagahai" ( 吾輩 ) corresponds to an archaic, sublime self with a slightly arrogant undertone as one would expect from a person of high social standing. The cat's speech is written in the so-called da-dearu style , which underlines this nuance even further. The extremely high-class vocabulary of the narrator and the undisguised disregard with which he comments on the intellect of his human roommates complete a bombastic and sublime self-image, which stands in amusing contrast to the physical nature of the main character.
More characters
In order to accurately reproduce the speaking names of the actors in the German version, translator Otto Putz decides to transfer the original names into German or to create names that come as close as possible to the content of their Japanese counterparts.
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Madame Tortoiseshell ( 三毛 子 , Mikeko ):
A cat lady who belongs to the household of a Koto teacher. She is the narrator's neighbor and respectfully calls him "Professor" without reciprocating his feelings. -
Black cat ( 車 屋 の 黒 , Kurumaya no Kuro ):
A pitch-black tomcat that is both large and coarse. He is cocky, violent and barely able to form a correct sentence. The German translation reproduces the coarse, vulgar style of black as Gossen language in Berlin dialect . -
Rarus Schneutz ( 珍 野 苦 沙弥 , Kushami Chinno ):
The "owner" of the animal narrator, head of the household and high school professor of the English language. He is married and has three daughters. The figure of the dyspeptic , neurotic and eccentric Schneutz is based on the author Sōseki himself. -
Professor Wirrhaus ( 迷亭 , Meitei ):
An esthete and bon vivant who enjoys teasing gullible people with pranks and absurd stories. (Natsume Soseki himself denied claims that the figure should be based on the aesthetician Yasuji Otsuka. According to the later writings of Sōseki's wife, it can be assumed that Wirrhaus is rather the personification of the mischievous side of the author himself.)
Latest issue
- Natsume Soseki : Me the hangover . Insel Verlag, Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-458-34467-5 .
