was a Japanese novelist, Russian translator and

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

active during the Shōwa period of Japan.

Early life

Jinzai was born in Tokyo; his father was an official in the Home Ministry. As his father was frequently transferred, as a child Jinzai lived in many locations around Japan, the longest period of which was in Taiwan (then under Japanese rule). In 1911, while in Taiwan, his father contracted malaria and died in 1912. Jinzai was then raised by his maternal aunt. While in junior high school, he met

Michio Takeyama was a Japanese writer, literary critic and scholar of German literature, active in Shōwa period Japan. Early life Takeyama was born in Osaka, but moved frequently as his father, a bank employee, was often transferred. From 1907-1913, he lived ...

, and in high school he met Tatsuo Hori, both of whom became his lifelong friends. Initially aspiring to become an architect, he was interested in poetry and French literature, but after enrolling in the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, he changed to Russian instead. While still a student, he co-founded the

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

''Hoki'' ("Broom") with Takeyama Michio and Hori Tatsuo. The magazine gave him a foundation to publish his own plays, poems and translations of foreign literature. After graduation, he worked briefly for the Hokkaido University library, then with the ''Tokyo Denki Nippo'' newspaper, before being hired by the Soviet trade office. In 1932, he decided to work as an author full-time.

Literary career

Jinzai is known for his translations of the works of the French writers André Gide and

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

, and the works of the Russian writers Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Turgenev and

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. Among his most noted translations is Chekhov's '' Uncle Vanya''. In addition to translation work, he also wrote his own novels, notably ''Hairo no me no onna'' ("Girl with Grey Eyes") and ''Shonen'' ("Boy"), the critical work, ''Shi to shosetsu no aida'' ("Between Verse and Fiction"), and an anthology of poems. Jinzai had a very diverse output, ranging from historical novels, literary critiques, verse, and stage plays. Jinzai was especially active in promoting modern Japanese theater, which he strongly felt should be performed in modern Japanese, rather than the archaic forms found in '' kabuki'' or '' noh'' drama. With the playwrights Kunio Kishida and Tsuneari Fukuda, he established his own theater company, ''Kumo no kai'' ("Clouds").

Private life

Jinzai relocated to

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

, Kanagawa prefecture in 1934, but moved back to Tokyo to be closer to his publisher and theater. During World War II, he moved to

Saitama prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

for safety. After the war, he returned to Kamakura, where he lived to his death. He died in 1957 at the age of 53 from tongue cancer. His grave is at the temple of Tōkei-ji in Kamakura. His was a lifelong friend of the poet and novelist, Hori Tatsuo.

References

* Keene, Donald. ''Dawn to the West''. Columbia University Press; (1998). * Ishiuchi, Toru. ''Jinzai Kiyoshi''. Hatsubaimoto Kinokuniya Shoten (1991). (Japanese)

External links

e-texts of works
at Aozora Bunko (Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jinzai, Kiyoshi 1903 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese literary critics People from Tokyo Deaths from oral cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan 20th-century Japanese translators 20th-century Japanese poets 20th-century Japanese dramatists and playwrights

Early life

Literary career

Private life

See also

References

External links