young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
mystery series '' Kotenbu'', also known as the ''Classic Literature Club'' series.
Biography
Honobu Yonezawa was born in 1978 in the
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...
.
From as young as he could remember, Yonezawa wanted to be a writer. At 11 years old, he wrote a sequel to
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
,'' and started writing original novels in the second year of junior high school. In his second year of
Kanazawa University
Kanazawa University ( ja, 金沢大学, Kanazawa Daigaku, abbreviated to ja, 金大, Kindai) is a Japanese national university in the city of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded in 1862, it was chartered as a university in 194 ...
studying literature, he started publishing his works on his site ''Hanmuden'' (汎夢殿) (the website was temporarily shut down after his official debut and these works are currently unavailable). His early work were diverse in genre, but Yonezawa was struck when he read
Kaoru Kitamura
(born December 28, 1949) is the pen name of , a popular contemporary Japanese writer, mainly of short stories.
Biography
Kitamura was born in the town of Sugito in Saitama Prefecture. He studied literature at Waseda University in Tokyo, and ...
's ''Flying Horse'' (空飛ぶ馬) and ''Princess in Rokunomiya'' (六の宮の姫君) while in university, and decided to turn his attention to writing mysteries.
After graduating from university, Yonezawa convinced his parents to let him try and attain his dream of writing a novel for two years. He got a job as a bookstore clerk in Takayama while he continued writing on the side. In 2001, he officially debuted with the novel ''
Hyōka
is a 2001 Japanese mystery novel written by Honobu Yonezawa. It is the first volume of the series. Five additional volumes have been published between 2002 and 2016. A manga adaptation drawn by Taskohna began serialization in the March 2 ...
,'' (氷菓) which received an honorable mention in the ''5th
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
Gakuen Novel Young Person Mystery and Horror Category Awards'' (角川学園小説大賞). His decision to submit was fueled by positive reception of ''Hyōka'' on his website ''Hanmuden,'' that he personally saw a future in the combination of
light novels
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language ...
and mysteries, and because he was late for the deadline of another award. ''Hyōka'' became the first novel in a series dubbed the ''Classic Literature Club'' (古典部) series, to be distributed by the newly established ''Sneaker Mystery Club'' within the
Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publi ...
imprint. ''Hyōka'' was soon followed with ''Gusha no Endorōru'' (愚者のエンドロール) in 2002.
However, when Yonezawa had completed the draft for the third and what he intended to be the final book in the ''Classic Literature Club'' series, the label was going on hiatus due to changing trends in the market, so he could not get it published. Despite this, he was approached by
Tokyo Sogensha
is a Japanese publisher of mystery fiction, science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction and social science, based in Tokyo.
History
In 1925, a publisher called of Osaka was established with a branch in Tokyo.
In 1948, the Tokyo branch of Soge ...
who inquired what he was working on, thanks partly to recommendations from writers Kiyoshi Kasai and
Kazuki Sakuraba
is a Japanese author of novels and light novels, and Naoki Prize winner.
Biography
Sakuraba was born in Shimane Prefecture on the 26th of July 1971. She, however, grew up in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture.
She started writing novels when she was ...
. When he explained the situation to the publisher, they asked to see the draft and after a few days they requested rights to publish it. After discussions between Kadokawa, Tokyo Sogensha and Yonezawa, they agreed to have the novel published, and after changing details such as the characters and the setting, ''Sayonara Yōsei'' (さよなら妖精) was published in 2004. It was featured in the magazine ''
Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!
is an annual mystery fiction guide book published by Takarajimasha. The guide book publishes a list of the top ten mystery fiction, mystery books published in Japan in the previous year.
1988
''Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 1988'' (JICC Shuppankyok ...
'' (このミステリーがすごい!) in 2005, ranking 20th in the domestic category.
In the same year, he published ''Shunki Gentei Ichigo Taruto Jiken'' (春期限定いちごタルト事件), the first novel of the ''Shōshimin'' (小市民) series.
Around the same time, he moved from
Gifu
is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...
to
Tōkyō
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
In 2008, when Yonezawa published ''Hakanai Hitsuji tachi no Shukuen'' (儚い羊たちの祝宴), he states that he started not only paying attention to the riddles present within his works, but also how they appeal to a wider audience. So when he published ''Oreta Ryūkotsu'' (折れた竜骨) in 2010, which incorporated some fantasy elements to an otherwise classical mystery story, it won the ''64th
Mystery Writers of Japan Award The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present)
MWJ Award for Best ...
'' for the following year.
In 2012,
Kyoto Animation
, often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. Founded in 1985 by Yoko and Hideaki Hatta, it has produced anime works including ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'' (2006), ''Cla ...
aired an anime adaptation of the ''Classic Literature Club'' series under the name of the first novel, ''Hyōka.''
Since 2013, he has been on the selection committee for the ''Mysteries! Rookie of the Year Award'' (ミステリーズ!新人賞).
In 2014, his short story collection ''Mangan'' (満願) was selected as one of the best mysteries in the ''Mystery ga Yomitai!,'' (ミステリーが読みたい!) ''
Shūkan Bunshun
is a Japanese weekly news magazine (Shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. It is considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the country.
Histo ...
Mystery Best 10,'' (週刊文春ミステリーベスト10) and ''Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!'' It was ranked the top in domestic rankings and became the first book in history to receive three simultaneous rankings from different publications. It also won the ''27th
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
The is a Japanese literary award established in 1988 in memory of author Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was created and continues to be sponsored by the Shinchosha Publishing company, which published Yamamoto's ''Complete Works''. The prize is awarded ann ...
'' and the ''151st Naoki Prize.''
In 2016, he was selected by literary magazine
Granta
''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...
in their Japanese edition as one of the ''Granta Best of Young Japanese Novelists''.
Awards and nominations
* ''
Hyōka
is a 2001 Japanese mystery novel written by Honobu Yonezawa. It is the first volume of the series. Five additional volumes have been published between 2002 and 2016. A manga adaptation drawn by Taskohna began serialization in the March 2 ...
'' (or ''Hyouka'') it. ''Frozen Dessert''(Novel)
** 2001 – The Encouragement Prize in the 5th
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
School Novel Prize (Kadokawa Gakuen Shōsetsu Taishō), YA Mystery/Horror category
* "Kokoroatari no Aru Mono wa" it. "Anyone Who Knows"(Short story)
** 2007 – Nominee for
Mystery Writers of Japan Award The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present)
MWJ Award for Best ...
for Best Short Story
* ''Inshite Miru'' it. ''Try Indulging''(Novel)
** 2008 – Nominee for
Honkaku Mystery Award The are presented every year by the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. They honor the best in honkaku (i.e. authentic, orthodox) mystery fiction and critical works published in the previous year.
Honkaku Mystery Award for Best Fiction winners ...
Mystery Writers of Japan Award The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present)
MWJ Award for Best ...
for Best Novel
** 2010 – Nominee for
Honkaku Mystery Award The are presented every year by the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. They honor the best in honkaku (i.e. authentic, orthodox) mystery fiction and critical works published in the previous year.
Honkaku Mystery Award for Best Fiction winners ...
Mystery Writers of Japan Award The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present)
MWJ Award for Best ...
for Best Novel
** 2011 – The Best Japanese Mystery Fiction of the Year ('' 2012 Honkaku Mystery Best 10'')
** 2011 – Nominee for
Honkaku Mystery Award The are presented every year by the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. They honor the best in honkaku (i.e. authentic, orthodox) mystery fiction and critical works published in the previous year.
Honkaku Mystery Award for Best Fiction winners ...
for Best Novel
** 2011 – Nominee for
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
The is a Japanese literary award established in 1988 in memory of author Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was created and continues to be sponsored by the Shinchosha Publishing company, which published Yamamoto's ''Complete Works''. The prize is awarded ann ...
* ''Mangan'' (Novel)
** 2014 –
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
The is a Japanese literary award established in 1988 in memory of author Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was created and continues to be sponsored by the Shinchosha Publishing company, which published Yamamoto's ''Complete Works''. The prize is awarded ann ...
** 2014 – Nominee for
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 ...
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 ...
Tufts
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
The Incite Mill
is a 2010 Japanese psychological thriller directed by Hideo Nakata. The movie is based on Honobu Yonezawa's novel ''The Incite Mill''.
Plot
Ten people are promised a dream job that pays 112,000 yen ($1,236 US dollars) per hour, no experience or ...
'' (2010, directed by
Hideo Nakata
is a Japanese filmmaker.
Life and career
Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Ring 2'' (1999) and ''Dark Water'' (2002). Several of these we ...
) (based on the novel ''Inshite Miru'')
See also
*
Japanese detective fiction
, is a popular genre of Japanese literature.
History
Name
When Western detective fiction spread to Japan, it created a new genre called detective fiction () in Japanese literature. After World War II the genre was renamed deductive reasoning fi ...
*
Light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...