|
Bundan
In Japanese literature, the is a term used to refer to a "system" of literary cliques and coteries that allow small in-groups of established authors, critics, and publishers to selectively advance the careers of favored protégés by controlling access to publication in prestigious literary magazines and dominating the selection committees for prestigious literary prizes such as the Akutagawa Prize. The Bundan has also been described as an "unofficial literary guild." The Bundan focuses on highbrow literary fiction (純文学 ''jun bungaku'', literally "pure literature"), and generally does not concern itself with "middlebrow" or "genre" fiction (大衆文学 ''taishū bungaku'', literally "literature for the masses"). Not all authors join the Bundan, but many aspiring authors feel compelled to do so in order to advance their careers. Authors who became independently famous without the patronage of established authors have generally remained aloof; examples of well-known authors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Literature
Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanese creole language. Indian literature also had an influence through the spread of Buddhism in Japan. During the Heian period, Japan's original culture () developed and literature also established its own style, with the significant usage and development of to write Japanese literature. Following the Perry Expedition which led to the end of the policy and the forced reopening of foreign trade, Western literature has also made influences to the development of modern Japanese writers, while Japanese literature has in turn become more recognized internationally, leading to two Japanese Nobel laureates in literature, namely Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburō Ōe. History Nara-period literature (before 794) Before the introduction of kanji f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It is currently sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and is awarded in January and July to the best serious literary story published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author. The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. Occasionally, when consensus cannot be reached between judges over disputes about the winning story or the quality of work for that half year, no prize is awarded. From 1945 through 1948 no prizes were awarded due to po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Fiction
Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, non-genre fiction or serious fiction is a label that, in the book trade, refers to market novels that do not fit neatly into an established genre (see genre fiction); or, otherwise, refers to novels that are character-driven rather than plot-driven, examine the human condition, use language in an experimental or poetic fashion, or are simply considered serious art. ''Literary fiction'' is often used as a synonym for literature, in the exclusive sense of writings specifically considered to have considerable Art, artistic merit. While literary fiction is commonly regarded as artistically superior to genre fiction, the two are not mutually exclusive, and major literary figures have employed the genres of science fiction, crime fiction, Romance novel, romance, etc., to create works of literature. Furthermore, the study of genre fiction has developed within academia in recent decades. Slipstream genre is sometimes located in between the genre and no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natsume Sōseki
, born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels ''Kokoro'', '' Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', '' Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work '' Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer of haiku, '' kanshi'', and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1,000 yen note. Early years Natsume Kin'nosuke was born on 9 February 1867 in the town of Babashita, Ushigome, Edo (present Kikui, Shinjuku, Tokyo), the fifth son of village head (''nanushi'') Natsume Kohē Naokatsu and his wife Chie. His father, a powerful and wealthy ''nanushi'', owned all land from Ushigome to Takadanobaba in Edo and handled most civil lawsuits at his doorstep. He was a descendant of Natsume Yoshinobu, a Sengoku period samurai and retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Sōseki began his life as an unwanted child, born to his mother late in her life, forty years old and his father then fifty-three. When he was born, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mori Ōgai
Lieutenant-General , known by his pen name , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, poet and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German language literary works to the Japanese public. Mori Ōgai also was considered the first to successfully express the art of western poetry in Japanese. He wrote many works and created many writing styles. ''The Wild Geese'' (1911–1913) is considered his major work. After his death, he was considered one of the leading writers who modernized Japanese literature. Biography Early life Mori was born as in Tsuwano, Iwami Province (present-day Shimane Prefecture). His family were hereditary physicians to the ''daimyō'' of the Tsuwano Domain._As_the_eldest_son,_it_was_assumed_that_he_would_carry_on_the_family_tradition;_therefore_he_was_sent_to_attend_classes_in_the_Confucianism.html" "title="DF 23 of 80/nowiki>">DF 23 of 80">"Kamei" at ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haruki Murakami
is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzou Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize. Growing up in Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel ''Hear the Wind Sing'' (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels '' Norwegian Wood'' (1987), ''The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'' (1994–95), ''Kafka on the Shore'' (2002), and '' 1Q84'' (2009–10), with ''1Q84'' ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun'' survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meiji Period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. As a result of such wholesale adoption of radically different ideas, the changes to Japan were profound, and affected its social structure, internal politics, economy, military, and foreign relations. The period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji. It was preceded by the Keiō era and was succeeded by the Taishō era, upon the accession of Emperor Taishō. The rapid modernization during the Meiji era was not without its opponents, as the rapid changes to society caused many disaffected traditionalists from the former samurai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsubouchi Shōyō
__NoTOC__ was a Japanese author, critic, playwright, translator, editor, educator, and professor at Waseda University. He has been referred to as a seminal figure in Japanese drama. "Wetmore deals cleanly with Japanese theatre as part of the modernization project ..Wetmore notes some of the new attempts within the ''kabuki'' frame then takes us through the work of seminal figures like Osanai Kaoru, Tsbouchi Shōyo, and so on. Biography He was born ''Tsubouchi Yūzō'' (坪内 雄蔵), in Gifu prefecture. He also used the pen name ''Harunoya Oboro'' (春のや おぼろ). His book of criticism, ''Shōsetsu Shinzui'' (The Essence of the Novel), helped free novels and dramas from the low opinion that the Japanese had of such literature. Tsubouchi's writings on realism in literature influenced Masaoka Shiki's ideas about realism in haiku. Tsubouchi's novel, ''Tōsei Shosei Katagi'' (Portraits of Contemporary Students), was one of the earliest modern novels in Japan. His Kabuki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken'yūsha
was a writers' society in Meiji era Japan, chiefly led by Ozaki Kōyō. Ozaki founded the group with and Maruoka Kyūka. Its other members included Kawakami Bizan, Yamada Bimyō , born , was a Japanese novelist.Suzuki, Tomi. ''Narrating the Self: Fictions of Japanese Modernity''. Stanford University Press, July 1, 1997. , 9780804731621. p44 Jim Reichert, author of ''Yamada Bimyō: Historical Fiction and Modern Love,'' w ..., and Hirotsu Ryurō. The group's magazine, , launched in 1885, was the first Japanese journal to focus on literature. It ceased publication in October 1889. References Meiji period Japanese writers' organizations Japanese literature {{Japan-writer-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yomiuri Shimbun
The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are the ''Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun (Tokyo Shimbun)'' the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', and the '' Nihon Keizai Shimbun''. It is headquartered in Otemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo.' It is a newspaper that represents Tokyo and generally has a conservative orientation. It is one of Japan's leading newspapers, along with the Osaka-based liberal (Third way) Asahi Shimbun and the Nagoya-based Social democratic Chunichi Shimbun. It is published by regional bureaus, all of them subsidiaries of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, Japan's largest media conglomerate by revenue and the second largest media conglomerate by size behind Sony,The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings is the largest media conglomerate by revenue in Japan, while Sony is Japan's largest media con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kikuchi Kan
, also known as Kan Kikuchi (which uses the same kanji as his real name), was a Japanese author. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the Akutagawa and Naoki Prize for popular literature. He came to prominence for the plays "Madame Pearl" and "Father Returns", but his ample support for the Imperial Japanese war effort led to his marginalization in the postwar period. He was also the head of Daiei Motion Picture Company (currently Kadokawa Pictures). He is known to have been an avid player of Mahjong. Early life and career Kikuchi was born on December 26, 1888, in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. In 1904-1905 after the Russo-Japanese War, literature in Japan grew more modern. French Realism was one of the first influences that immersed into Japan's literature. Building from the famous and classic works from the West, which include diaries and autobiographies, Japanese writers form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naoki Prize
The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the award recognizes "the best work of popular literature in any format by a new, rising, or (reasonably young) established author." The winner receives a watch and one million yen. Kikuchi founded the Naoki Prize with the Akutagawa Prize, which targets a new or rising author of literary fiction. The two prizes are viewed as "two sides of the same coin" and inseparable from one another. Because of the prestige associated with the Naoki Prize and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it, along with the Akutagawa Prize, is one of Japan's most sought after literary awards of recognition. Winners Bungeishunjū maintains the official archive of past Naoki Prize winners. 1st–100th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
