Japanese Magical Realism I: Souseki

As I am currently writing a paper on magical realism in Japanese literature, I thought it might be prudent to make a series of it.

Magical realism, under my definition at least, is a work that fundamentally displays a struggle between reality and unreality. It is inexplicable, but rather than having its roots in the psychology of the characters as surrealism might, the unreal attached to it has a greater meaning, and often an even greater number of interpretations.

The first author, and work, that I want to tackle are both relatively iconic. Indeed, there are few more recognizable Japanese authors than Natsume Souseki of Botchan, Kokoro, and I am a Cat fame. Yet perhaps one of his most unsung pieces of a series of quite simply excellent fantastical vignettes entitled Ten Nights of Dreams.

Ten Nights of Dreams is really a staggering piece of art, although only a couple of the ten stories can truly be considered magical realism. Ranging from poetic to satirical, each bit of the 45-odd pages that the book occupies remains thoroughly impressive. Especially excellent is the first dream, in which a woman dies and her lover waits 100 years for her, only to find a more fitting meeting in the end.

In short, it's simply more of Souseki's mastery at work. I recommend it to all who can appreciate the art in literature, rather than just the escapism.