was a Japanese writer.

Biography

Jun'ichi Watanabe was born in Kamisunagawa,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

, Japan. His starting point as a literate was the death of a classmate who was his first love in high school. He published his first works while still studying at Sapporo Medical University, where he graduated in 1958. He specialised in

orthopedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, while at the same time writing medical, historical, and biographical novels. Following the scandal about the first heart transplant operation performed in Japan in 1968, which became known as the "Wada incident", Watanabe left his medical profession and concentrated on writing. Watanabe wrote more than 50 novels in total, and won awards including the 1970

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 th ...

for ''Hikari to kage'' (lit. "Light and shadow"), and the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize in 1979 for ''Toki rakujitsu'' ("The Setting Sun in the Distance) and ''Nagasaki roshia yujokan'' ("The Russian brothel of Nagasaki"). He gained wide attention with a series of sexually explicit novels, including the 1997 bestseller ''

A Lost Paradise is 1997 Japanese novel by author Junichi Watanabe. It tells the story of a 54-year-old married former magazine editor, his affair with a 37-year-old married typesetter and their double-suicide. The couple, Kūki and Rinko, are modeled after t ...

'', which was made into a film and a TV miniseries. He died on 30 April 2014 of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

in Tokyo.

Works in English translation

* 1969: ''Invitation to Suicide'' (''Jisatsu no susume''). In: ''Autumn Wind and Other Stories'' * 1970: ''Beyond the Blossoming Fields'' (''Hanauzumi'') * 1997: ''A Lost Paradise'' (''Shitsurakuen'')

References

External links

Junichi Watanabe's literature house
* Japanese writers 1933 births 2014 deaths Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan Japanese erotica writers Naoki Prize winners Writers from Hokkaido {{Japan-writer-stub