Lotus Prize for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (1972) Winner
Hiroshi Noma
のま ひろし
Noma Hiroshi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1915-02-23 （Kōbe, Japan）
- Died
- 1991-01-02 （Tokyo, Japan） age 75
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Poet, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1946-1991
- Memberships
- Former member of the Japanese Communist Party (later expelled)
- Influenced By
- Takeuchi Katsutarō (poet), French Symbolism
- Influenced
- Postwar Japanese writers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto University | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | — | 1935-1938 | Japan |
Kyoto University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Period:
1935-1938
Year of Graduation:
1938
Country:
Japan
Graduated in French literature
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Tanizaki Prize | Seinen no wa (Circle of Youth) | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Lotus Prize for Literature | Seinen no wa (for the work in its entirety) | — | — | 受賞 |
Tanizaki Prize
1971
Work:
Seinen no wa (Circle of Youth)
Result:
受賞
Lotus Prize for Literature
1972
Work:
Seinen no wa (for the work in its entirety)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Dark Pictures
1946 NovelA work depicting postwar confusion and the breakdown of human relationships; noted as a powerful new literary voice at the time.
War and defeatBreakdown of interpersonal relationshipsCorporeality
Translations
- Included in Dark Pictures and Other Stories (English translation)
A Red Moon in Her Face
1947 Short storyA short story addressing how defeat affected human relationships, arguing the impossibility of forming satisfying relations after the war.
Effects of defeatIsolation
Translations
- Translated into English (included in collections)
Feeling of Disintegration
1948 Short storyOne of his works exploring postwar psychological collapse and the confusion of individual perception.
Psychological collapseInteriority
Zone of Emptiness
1952 NovelA novel aiming to present to readers a true picture of Japan under the yoke of militarism.
MilitarismSocial critique
Adaptations
- [Film] Zone of Emptiness / 山本薩夫 (1952)
Translations
- Translated editions exist (1956 translations into French and English editions referenced)
Waga tō wa soko ni tatsu
1961 NovelA strongly political novel criticized by some contemporary critics for its overt politics.
Politics and literatureMarxism
Seinen no wa (Circle of Youth)
1971 Epic novel (multi-volume)A five-volume major work begun in 1948 and completed after 24 years, regarded as his masterpiece embodying his "Total Novel Theory."
Historical perspectiveIndividual and society
Shinran
1973 Work on religious themes / biographical elementsA work expounding Noma's thoughts on religion, using Shinran as a subject to discuss ideas.
ReligionThought
Sayama Trial
1976 Social-issue writingA work that considers discrimination against Burakumin, exemplified by the 1963 Sayama incident.
DiscriminationSocial justice
Bibliography
- Dark Pictures (1946)
- A Red Moon in Her Face (1947)
- Feeling of Disintegration (1948)
- Zone of Emptiness (1952)
- Waga tō wa soko ni tatsu (1961)
- Seinen no wa (1971)
- Shinran (1973)
- Sayama Trial (1976)
Adaptations
- Zone of Emptiness (film, 1952, directed by Satsuo Yamamoto)
Translations of Works
- Dark Pictures and Other Stories (English translation, 2000)
- Zone of Emptiness (French/English translations, 1956)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Representative of postwar Japanese literatureRealist tendencies with strong emphasis on corporeal description
- Recurring Motifs
- The bodyDefeat and lossSocial oppression and discrimination
Health
-
cancer1990年代初期（死去：1991年）Led to his death in 1991
Legacy
Hiroshi Noma is regarded as one of the leading postwar Japanese writers and is widely credited with establishing the style known as "postwar literature." His emphasis on the body and themes of war and defeat made significant contributions to depictions of postwar Japanese society.
Academic Societies
- New Japanese Literature Association (involved as a speaker/participant)
Archives
- National Diet Library (holds materials)
In Popular Culture
- Zone of Emptiness was adapted into a film in 1952, known as an example of postwar literature adapted for screen.
Quotes
-
I wanted to provide the reader with a true picture of what my country was like when it was under the yoke of this dominating force [of militarism].
Source: Preface to Zone of Emptiness (as cited in translations, 1956) (1956)
Trivia
- Considered one of the "first generation" of postwar writers in Japan.
- Completed the five-volume Seinen no wa in 1971 and won the Tanizaki Prize for it.
- Was once a member of the Japanese Communist Party; expelled in 1964.
- Died of cancer in 1991.