Somersault (宙返り Chūgaeri) is a 1999 novel by Kenzaburō Ōe. It is about two former leaders of a religious cult as they try to establish a new movement, a possible nuclear catastrophe, and religious sects in everyday society.[1] It received inspiration from the Aum Shinrikyo cult and their Tokyo subway sarin attack of 1995. The English translation, by Philip Gabriel,[2] first appeared in 2003.[3] It was Ōe's first novel since he won the 1994 literature Nobel Prize.[4] It was published in the United States by Grove Press.[5] The book was published in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Books.[4]
Scott Esposito of the Los Angeles Times said that the translation "wasn't much admired by English-speaking reviewers".[3] Christopher Tayler of The Guardian said that the "sprawling" Somersault received "widespread criticism".[1] Publishers Weekly said "Oe has attempted to create a sprawling masterpiece, but American readers might decide there's more sprawl than masterpiece here."[2] Steven Poole of The Guardian said, "And yet, for all its longueurs, one finishes Somersault convinced that buried within the sprawling text is a brilliant, much shorter novel. Perhaps even Nobel laureates occasionally need ruthless editing."[4] Eric Hanson of the Star Tribune said the novel "would be an underwhelming and unsatisfying read, no matter the writer. But coming from a novelist of Oe's immense stature, it's beyond disappointing. It's depressingly sad."[5]