From Japan's most famous, classic novelist comes a remarkable gem of wit, irony, and feline observationA stray kitten, catapulted to literary fame loudly observes the world of Meiji Japan in all its absurdity. But he s not the only cat in the neighbourhood, and as he rallies against the stupidity of human habit, he grows closer to the sophisticated Miss Calico but he can t hide his own inadequacies for long.BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days