was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short stories and novels.

Early life

Born in Tokyo, Hori studied Japanese literature at

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

under Saisei Murō and

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa , art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He committed suicide at the age of ...

. In addition to Japanese writers of the time, he read the works of Rainer Maria Rilke,

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Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

and

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

, the French symbolists, and the philosophical writings of Arthur Schopenhauer and

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

. While still a student, he contributed translations of modern French poets and also his own writings to the literary journal ''Roba'', published and edited by critic Tsurujirō Kubokawa. He regarded himself as a disciple of Akutagawa, but also showed influences of Raymond Radiguet and Marcel Proust, and the Proletarian Literature Movement. His later works reflect a move towards

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

Literary career

In 1930, Hori received recognition for his short story '' Sei kazoku'' (lit. "The Holy Family"), which was written under the impression of Akutagawa's death and even paid reference to the dead mentor in the shape of the deceased character Kuki. Hori followed with a number of novelettes and poems, often characterized by the theme of death. During one of his regular stays in

Karuizawa, Nagano is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...

, he met his future fiancée Ayako Yano, a time which he portrayed in his novel ''Beautiful Village''. Both ill with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

, the couple moved to a sanatorium in Nagano Prefecture, which Hori used as the setting for his most famous novel, ''

The Wind Has Risen ''The Wind Has Risen'' (風立ちぬ, ''Kaze tachinu'') is a Japanese novel by Tatsuo Hori, published between 1936 and 1938, and is regarded as his most acknowledged work. The story is set in a sanitarium in Nagano, Japan, where the nameless prot ...

'', a fictionalised account of his fiancée's last months before her death in December 1935. In 1938, Hori married Tae Kato. Near the end of the Pacific War, he was evacuated to Oiwake, Karuizawa, where he remained until his death in 1953. Due to his deteriorating health, his literary output declined during his last years. Hori is buried at Tama Reien cemetery in Tokyo. In his honour, the Hori Tatsuo Memorial Museum of Literature was established in Karuizawa. His widow Tae (1913–2010) served as the museum's honorary director and published many essays on her husband.

Selected works

* 1930: * 1933–34: * 1936–38: * 1937: * 1941: * 1941: * 1942:

Translations into English

* * * * *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hori, Tatsuo 1904 births 1953 deaths Japanese male poets Writers from Tokyo 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis University of Tokyo alumni Tuberculosis deaths in Japan 20th-century Japanese translators 20th-century Japanese poets 20th-century Japanese male writers