Shinichi Hoshi (星新一 ''Hoshi Shin'ichi'', September 6, 1926 – December 30, 1997) was a

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 ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

writer best known for his " short-short" science fiction stories, often no more than three or four pages in length, of which he wrote over 1000. He also wrote mysteries and won the

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 ''Mōsō Ginkō (Delusion Bank)'' in 1968. One of his short stories, "Bokko-chan" ("Miss Bokko"), was translated into English and published in ''

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiva ...

'' in June 1963. His books translated into English include ''There Was a Knock,'' a collection of 15 stories, and ''The Spiteful Planet and Other Stories.'' His friend

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

used his name for a character in '' Amazing 3'', a manga and anime series which Tezuka produced in 1967. His grandmother on his mother's side, Kimiko Koganei, was the sister of

Mori Ōgai Lieutenant-General , known by his pen name , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, poet and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German lan ...

Bibliography

* ''Miss Bokko (Bokko-chan)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd., 1963. * ''The Spiteful Planet and Other Stories'',

Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

, 1978. * ''There Was a Knock'',

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

, 1984. * ''The Capricious Robot'',

Kodansha International is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

, 1986. * ''The Bag of Surprises'',

, 1989. * ''The Whimsical Robot (Kimagure Robotto)'',

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

* ''Aesop Fables for the Future (Mirai Issoppu)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Heaven with a Demon (Akuma no iru Tengoku)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Inconsistent Parts (Chiguhaguna Buhin)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Welcome, Earth! (Yokoso Chikyu-san)'' Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Meddlesome Gods (Osekkaina Kamigami)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''The Ending You Wished For (Onozomino Ketsumatsu)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Bonbons and Nightmares (Bonbon to Akumu)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''Greetings from Outer Space (Uchu no Aisatsu)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''The Other Side of the Swing (Buranko no Mukode)'', Shinchosha Publishing Co. Ltd. * ''The Modern Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Hora Danshaku Gendai no Boken)'' * ''The Fairy Distributing Company (Yosei Haikyu Gaisha)'' * ''My Nation (Mai Kokka)'' * ''A Handful of Future (Hitonigiri no Mirai)''

External links

The Hoshi Library The Official English Website of Shinichi Hoshi

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J'Lit , Authors : Shin'ichi Hoshi , Books from Japan
1926 births 1997 deaths Writers from Tokyo Japanese illustrators 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese science fiction writers Japanese male short story writers Mystery Writers of Japan Award winners University of Tokyo alumni 20th-century Japanese short story writers 20th-century Japanese male writers {{japan-writer-stub