When we look up the best authors or timeless classics in modern literature, we often find authors who wrote a hundred or more years ago. In English, we think of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Ernest Hemingway. In French, authors like Dumas, Proust, and Balzac come to mind.

These great works can be intimidating. Not only are the texts old—sometimes using archaic language and terminology—but the content can also be intellectually challenging, even for native speakers.

In Japan, the undisputed father of modern Japanese literature is Natsume Souseki. Souseki* was active from 1905 to 1916, and his influence on the literary landscape is impossible to overstate. His works were celebrated during his lifetime, and today they remain among the most beloved classics, read by people of all ages.

But what does this mean for those who are studying Japanese? Is it worth it for you, a Japanese learner, to attempt to tackle Souseki? In this post, I’m here to tell you why you absolutely should be reading Natsume Souseki as a Japanese learner in 2025 (and beyond).

1. His Novels Are Surprisingly Accessible

While you should have a comfortable proficiency level (somewhere between at least N2 and N1) before diving in, Natsume Souseki’s novels are surprisingly easy to read. While some of his works are more complex, Kokoro, Bocchan, and Sore Kara are all fantastic starting points. They won't overwhelm you with overly challenging themes, obscure vocabulary, or complex structures.

The language, while a century old, does not feel at all outdated. You’ll probably only notice a few terms that have fallen out of use in contemporary Japanese, and none of them will hinder your understanding. Imagine how amazing it will feel when you realize you can read and understand masterpieces by the very father of modern Japanese literature.

Japanese novels vary wildly in difficulty. If you choose a novel randomly, you have no idea what you might be getting into. Choosing one of Souseki’s works listed above will not only give you the confidence to read real Japanese literature but also...

2. Reading Souseki will give you a greater appreciation of contemporary Japanese literature

As mentioned, Souseki’s influence on modern Japanese literature cannot be understated. It's highly likely that every professional novelist in Japan has read at least some of his works.

This means you will frequently encounter nods or even direct references to Souseki’s works throughout many pieces of modern literature. While it would be an exaggeration to say every Japanese novel has a Souseki reference, I have constantly observed the influence of his works in my own reading adventures. A great example of this is Makime Manabu’s 鹿男あをによし (Shikaotoko awoni yoshi), which is heavily inspired by Bocchan.

Souseki is also credited with popularizing the 私小説 (shishousetsu - lit. “self-novel”), a genre where the author recounts personal experiences layered within a fictional framework. This continues to be a widely popular genre in Japanese literature even a hundred years after Souseki’s death. Understanding Souseki provides a great perspective for such works, and modern Japanese novels in general.

3. Souseki Has a Surprisingly Great Sense of Humor

Personally, when I think of old pieces of classic literature, I picture something dry, heavy on complicated symbolism, and difficult for a modern reader to wrap their mind around. Souseki’s works are nothing like this.

I still remember the first time I sat down with a Souseki novel, expecting the reading experience to be something of a chore, only to find that I was soon chuckling to myself with how funny the story was. It almost felt like he was breaking some kind of rule by cracking jokes when classical literature “should” be serious.

While some of his stories definitely take on a more solemn tone, you cannot help but laugh when reading books like 吾輩は猫である (I Am a Cat) or ぼっちゃん (Bocchan). Even それから (Sore kara), which is one of his more serious works, has Souseki’s great sense of humor on display, especially during the first half.

4. All of His Works Are in the Public Domain

All of Souseki’s works are in the public domain, which means you can legally download them for free and load them into your preferred e-reader. Excellent digital options are available via platforms like Aozora Bunko and Kindle. If you’re someone who prefers physical books, this means that you can also easily buy his books for cheap, as books in the public domain tend to sell for much cheaper than your average novel.

This is a huge benefit for learners not only because you can instantly get your hands on some of the greatest works of Japanese literature for free, but also because you can easily look up any new words in digital formats. If you open Souseki’s works in your internet browser (from Aozora Bunko, for example), you can utilize browser extensions like rikaikun for instant lookups. And if you load his works into your Kindle, you can also easily click on words to look them up in whichever dictionaries you have installed.

This leads us directly to our final reason to read Souseki in 2025, which is...

5. Souseki’s works are a great launch pad for improving Japanese vocabulary

If you haven't read much Japanese literature before, the first time you work your way through a Japanese novel can be overwhelming, especially if you choose something that is full of genre-specific jargon (like detective stories, science fiction, or fantasy).

Souseki’s works fall squarely under the category of “general literature.” This means you will not have problems with jargon which is specific to any particular genre. Furthermore, since Souseki’s works continue to be widely-read and highly-influential in Japan, the vocabulary you see used in his books will continue to pop up throughout your entire journey through modern Japanese literature.

Just flipping through a few pages of one of his books on my shelf, I can tell you that almost all of the words I see are highly common and must-know words for Japanese learners.

If you can work your way through Souseki’s books while picking up a lot of this core vocabulary, you will be in a great place to understand and appreciate works from other authors as you continue your reading journey.

And there you have it, the top five reasons to read Souseki in 2025 (and beyond!). I personally have been a huge fan of Souseki ever since I first began intensively reading Japanese literature over 20 years ago, and going back and reading some of his works this year, I find my affinity for them has only increased. There is a reason that Souseki’s works continue to be in print more than a hundred years later, and I’m sure you’ll be convinced if you pick up one of his books for yourself.

*A note on names: While the convention in Japanese is typically to address people by their family names, in Japanese literature, it is most common to refer to authors by their full names (e.g., 西浦京太郎、東野圭吾、辻村美月). For particularly influential authors, however, they may simply be known by their family names (太宰、芥川、村上）. Natsume Souseki, by contrast, is commonly referred to by his pen name “Souseki” in literary circles. This is because Souseki is an uncommon name, so there is no mistake who you are talking about when simply using the name “Souseki”. Fun fact: the pen name “Souseki” literally means “rinsing one’s mouth with stones,” and was inherited from his friend Masaoka Shiki, who in turn took it from the proverb 漱石枕流 (souseki chinryuu - lit. wash your mouth with stones and use a river as a pillow), meaning “someone who is stubborn and refuses to admit defeat” or “something which has been overly forced.” Source