University of West London Graduate Publishes Japan-Set Novel
Luc Jorgart explores cross-cultural identity in coming-of-age story
Luc Jorgart with his new book
October 23, 2025
A graduate of the University of West London has released a new novel set in late 20th-century Japan, blending themes of youth, violence, and belonging. The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto, by British author Luc Jorgart, follows a troubled teenager drawn into the underworld of Kumamoto, where loyalty and survival collide in a coming-of-age narrative shaped by cross-cultural tension.
Jorgart, who earned his LLB at the local campus, brings a legal and international studies background to his fiction. His time at UWL provided a foundation in UK law, which he later expanded through postgraduate study at Keio University in Japan. This academic trajectory informs the novel’s exploration of social structures, personal agency, and the consequences of inherited trauma.
Set against the backdrop of a Kumamoto boarding school and the bosozoku biker subculture, the story centres on Ryuji Nagata, a boy uprooted from his island home and thrust into a cycle of bullying and isolation. As he seeks refuge in a cabaret bar and finds kinship among the Wild Dogs gang, Ryuji confronts questions of identity, loyalty, and freedom — themes that resonate with broader narratives of adolescence and displacement.
The novel’s release marks a shift for Jorgart, who began his writing career crafting Japanese-style light novels. His latest work, self-published and gaining early traction among readers of modern thrillers, reflects a more grounded and emotionally layered approach. While the book is not autobiographical, its depiction of cultural friction and moral ambiguity draws on the author’s lived experience navigating British and Japanese institutions.
The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto is now available in print and digital formats.
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