The Soil: A Portrait of Rural Life in Meiji Japan (Voices from Asia)
"Every time I read this novel I am struck by Nagatsuka's sincerity as a  writer, the beauty of his descriptions of nature, which are informed by the  acuity of his power of observation, and his lyricism. I have never doubted that  The Soil is in a class of its own in the history of Japanese literature."  --Taeko  Midorikawa Crump, Japan Forum"Nagatsuka Takashi (1879-1915) in The Soil achieves a highly visual  story in which he builds up a picture of life in a rural village in intimate  detail. . . This novel's most remarkable achievement is its portrayal of a  relationship between nature and man of such closeness that, indeed, nature and  man are one."  --Maria Flutsch,  Asian Studies Review"This richly detailed novel is both fascinating and informative. Credit  must also go to Ann Waswo for so effectively rendering this textured and lively  portrait of a vanished past so vividly in English."  --Francis Bosha, Mainichi  Daily News