The Third Generation of Postwar Writers (第三の新人, daisan no shinjin) is a classification in Modern Japanese literature used to group writers who appeared on the

postwar In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

literary scene between 1953 and 1955.

Shūsaku Endō was a Japanese author who wrote from the rare perspective of a Japanese Catholic. Internationally, he is known for his 1966 historical fiction novel ''Silence'', which was adapted into a 2016 film of the same name by director Martin Scorsese. ...

, a member of the Third Generation once said, "In those days, although we had received the

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

one after another, hardly did anyone expect that we would become great writers. We were regarded as if we would soon be forgotten by the literary world. Precisely, almost all people did not start to know Akutagawa Prize until Ishihara Shintaro had won the prize and surfed away mass media and provoked public opinion into asunder, as the first manifesto from one of the Postwar Generation." However, despite this, this generation has made a major mark on Japanese literature. The works of Endō in particularly have been translated into many languages and are widely read in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At that same time, women writers such as

Aya Kōda was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories and essays. She was the daughter of writer Kōda Rohan, Rohan Kōda. Among her most noted works is the 1955 novel ''Nagareru''. Biography Kōda was born in Terajima, Minami Katsushika-gun, Tokyo P ...

(幸田文),

Minako Oba was a Japanese author and social critic. She was awarded the 1968 Akutagawa Prize for ''Sanbiki no kani'' (Three Crabs), and the 1982 Tanizaki Prize The Tanizaki Prize (谷崎潤一郎賞 ''Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Shō''), named in honor of the Jap ...

, and

Sawako Ariyoshi Sawako Ariyoshi (有吉佐和子 ''Ariyoshi Sawako'', 20 January 1931 – 30 August 1984) was a Japanese writer, known for such works as ''The Doctor's Wife'' and ''The River Ki.'' She was known for her advocacy of social issues, such as the elde ...

also made their debuts. After this generation, predominant and various writers like

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultranat ...

Morio Kita was the pen name of , a Japanese psychiatrist, novelist and essayist. Kita was the second son of poet Mokichi Saitō. Shigeta Saitō, his older brother, was also a psychiatrist. The essayist Yuka Saitō is Kita's daughter. Kita attended Aza ...

, and

Kenzaburō Ōe is a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues, i ...

appeared.

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(遠藤周作) *

Shōtarō Yasuoka was a Japanese writer. Biography Yasuoka was born in pre-war Japan in Kōchi, Kōchi, but as the son of a veterinary corpsman in the Imperial Army, he spent most of his youth moving from one military post to another. In 1944, he was conscript ...

(安岡章太郎) *

Junnosuke Yoshiyuki was a Japanese novelist and short-story writer, and a member of the so-called " Third Generation of Postwar Writers" (第3の新人). Life Yoshiyuki was born in Okayama, the oldest child of author Yoshiyuki Eisuke, but his family moved to Tok ...

(吉行淳之介） *

Junzo Shono was a Japanese novelist. A native of Osaka, he began writing novels after World War II. He won the 1954 Akutagawa Prize for his book ''Purusaido Shokei'' (''Poolside Scene''). Shōno's other award-winning books include ''Seibutsu'' (''Still Life' ...

(庄野潤三) *

Shumon Miura was a Japanese novelist. He attended the University of Tokyo, and upon graduation joined the staff of the literary magazine ''Shin-Shicho'' (新思潮: "New Thought") in 1950. The next year, Miura published his first book. He then married fell ...

(三浦朱門) *

Ayako Sono is a Japanese writer. Life She went to the Catholic Sacred Heart School in Tokyo after elementary school. During World War II, she evacuated to Kanazawa. After writing for the fanzines ''La Mancha'' and ''Shin-Shicho'' (新思潮: "New Thought" ...

(曽野綾子) *

Hiroyuki Agawa (December 24, 1920 – August 3, 2015) was a Japanese people, Japanese author. He was known for his fiction centered on World War II, as well as his biographies and essays. Literary career Agawa was born in Hiroshima, Japan. As a high school ...

(阿川弘之) * Kojima Nobuo (小島信夫)

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See also