Natsume Soseki (author) Natsume Soseki (1867 - 1916) is considered one of Japan's greatest and most influential modern writers. Born to a wealthy, landowning family yet put up for adoption, his childhood was marked by deep insecurities further compounded by the death of his mother. Much against the wishes of his family, he dreamt of life as a writer, and after a career in teaching, including several years in London, he embarked on his literary career in 1903. The success of I Am a Cat , first serialised in 1905, brought Soseki nationwide fame, and he went on to write some of Japan's most cherished contemporary novels, including Kokoro , Botchan and Kusamakura . Nick Bradley (Translator) Nick Bradley holds a PhD from UEA focussing on the figure of the cat in Japanese literature. He lived in Japan for many years where he worked as a translator, and currently teaches on the Creative Writing master's programme at the University of Cambridge. His debut novel, The Cat and The City , was published in 2020.