is a Swiss-born author, best known for his novel ''

Ichigensan is Swiss author David Zoppetti's debut novel. Written in Japanese, in 1996 it won the 20th Subaru Prize, awarded to new works by Subaru Novel Magazine (published by Shueisha) and was published by Shueisha that year. It was made into a film in 19 ...

''. Writing exclusively in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, Zoppetti is thus an exophonic writer, considered part of the J-Literature movement. (J-Literature refers to

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-Japanes ...

of the 1990s, particularly novels on street life in urban Japan.) After leaving the Japanese language faculty of

Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

, Zoppetti came to Japan and attended

Doshisha University , mottoeng = Truth shall make you free , tagline = , established = Founded 1875,Chartered 1920 , vision = , type = Private , affiliation = , calendar = , endowment = €1 ...

's department of

, which he graduated in 1990. On graduation he became

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

's first non-Japanese employee, and also their first employee to claim paternity leave. Soon after being hired, on 5 April 1991 he appeared in the opening scene of

Kensaku Morita is a Japanese politician, actor and singer. He was elected as the Governor of Chiba Prefecture in March 2009 to April 2021『』からリンクする知事選挙「開票結果」（Excelファイル）千葉県選挙管理委員会による知� ...

's 'Netsuketsu Television' show, and he went on to be a reporter and director for the flagship news programme News Station. His first novel, Ichigensan won the 20th Subaru Prize for Literature in 1996, and was further nominated for the 116th

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 ...

. It also attracted critical attention as a work to "cross borders and break with established literary tradition ..unique in that it is a novel of Kyoto written in Japanese by an 'outsider' for a Japanese audience". This success led him to leave TV Asahi in 1998 and concentrate on his writing activities, although he continued to work in a number of side-ventures including the promotion of Swiss goods such as

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historical ...

and

reflexology Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative medical practice involving the application of pressure to specific points on the feet, ears, and hands. This is done using thumb, finger, and hand massage techniques without the use of ...

. Ichigensan "was a best-seller among young women readers nd went on to bemade into a hit film in 1999". His second novel, Alegrias was nominated for the 13th

Mishima Yukio Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented annually. It was established in 1988 in memory of author Yukio Mishima. The Mishima Yukio Prize is explicitly intended for work that "breaks new ground for the future of literature," and prize winners te ...

, and his third book - a non-fiction travelogue - won the 50th Japan Essayists Club Prize in 2001. Zoppetti refers to his own race as 'thoroughly mixed' (純粋な混血), having Italian, American, Ukrainian, Iraqi and Polish great-grandparents, and speaking German, French, Italian, English and Japanese.

Works

* いちげんさん (

) (1997,

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

) ** English translation by Takuma Sminkey published as 'Ichigensan - The Newcomer' (2011, Ozaru Books)Ōzaru Books website
/ref> * アレグリア (Alegrias) (2000, Shueisha) * 旅日記 A Travel Diary, Un Journal de Voyage (Tabi Nikki) (2001, Shueisha) * 命の風 (Inochi no Kaze = The Winds of Life) (2005,

Gentosha is a Japanese publisher, headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Gentosha publishes manga magazine ''Comic Birz'', Web comic magazines '' GENZO'', ''SPICA'', '' Comic MAGNA'', literary magazines '' Lynx'', ''papyrus'', as well as business magazine ''GOET ...

) * 不法愛妻家 (Fuhō Aisaika = An Illegal Husband in Love) (2012,

Shinchosha is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Books * Haruki Murakami: ''Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (1985), ...

) * 旅立ちの季節 (Tabidachi no Kisetsu = The Season of Departures) (2016, Kodansha)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoppetti, David 1962 births Exophonic writers 20th-century Swiss novelists 21st-century Swiss novelists Swiss expatriates in Japan Living people University of Geneva alumni Doshisha University alumni Swiss male novelists 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers

Works

See also

References