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Ian Buruma

イアン・ブルーマ

Ian Buruma

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1951-12-28 （The Hague, Netherlands）
Nationality
Dutch
Languages
English, Dutch, Japanese
Residence History
The Hague, Netherlands → Tokyo, Japan → Hong Kong → New York City, United States

Career

Occupations
writer, editor, historian, journalist, professor
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Human Rights in China (board member), European Council on Foreign Relations (fellow), Bard College (Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights and Journalism, 2003–2017)
Memberships
Human Rights in China (board member), European Council on Foreign Relations (fellow)
Influenced By
Donald Richie, John Schlesinger

Education

Leiden University
Chinese literature and history
Degree: Candidate (学位)
Period: 1971–1975
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: Netherlands
Studied Chinese literature and history; obtained Candidate degree
Nihon University, College of Art (Japan)
Studies in Japanese cinema (postgraduate studies)
Degree: Postgraduate studies
Period: 1975–1977
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: Japan
Postgraduate-level studies on Japanese cinema and culture

Awards

Honorary Doctorate in Theology (University of Groningen)
2004
Organization: University of Groningen
Result: 受賞
Erasmus Prize
2008
Organization: Praemium Erasmianum Foundation
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Best Current Interest)
2006
Work: Murder in Amsterdam
Category: Best Current Interest
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay
Work: Theater of Cruelty
Organization: PEN America
Result: 受賞
Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers (listed)
2010
Organization: Foreign Policy
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance

2006 Nonfiction (modern history / cultural critique)

Examines the murder of Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands to explore the limits of tolerance and conflicts around immigration, religion and culture.

toleranceimmigration and social tensionreligion and secularism

Theater of Cruelty: Art, Film, and the Shadows of War

2014 Essays / cultural criticism

A collection of essays on how war casts shadows over art and film, exploring representation and the legacy of conflict.

memory of warart and ethics

The China Lover

2008 Novel

A novel exploring personal passions set against the backdrop of China-West relations.

East-West relationspersonal and historical memory

Year Zero: A History of 1945

2013 Historical nonfiction

Treats 1945 as a pivotal year in world history and examines the formation of the postwar world, memory and consequences of violence.

postwar historymemory and responsibility

A Tokyo Romance

2018 Memoir / cultural nonfiction

Reflects on the author's experiences and relationships in Japan, weaving cultural exchange with personal narrative.

Japan-Europe relationsmemoir

The Churchill Complex: The Rise and Fall of the Special Relationship and the End of the Anglo-American Order

2020 History / international relations

Discusses the evolution of the Anglo-American 'special relationship' and its rise and decline.

diplomatic historyAnglo-American relations

The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II

2023 Historical nonfiction

Through three stories from World War II, explores complexity of collaboration, deception and survival.

collaboration and betrayalwartime ethics

Spinoza: Freedom's Messiah

2024 Biography / intellectual history

A biographical study surveying Spinoza's thought and influence.

intellectual historyfreedom and religion

Bibliography

  • The Japanese Tattoo (with Donald Richie)
  • Behind the Mask: On Sexual Demons, Sacred Mothers, Transvestites, Gangsters, Drifters, and Other Japanese Cultural Heroes
  • A Japanese Mirror: Heroes and Villains of Japanese Culture
  • God's Dust: A Modern Asian Journey
  • Murder in Amsterdam
  • Inventing Japan: From Empire to Economic Miracle 1853–1964
  • Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies
  • Year Zero: A History of 1945
  • A Tokyo Romance
  • The Churchill Complex
  • The Collaborators
  • Spinoza: Freedom's Messiah

Style & Themes

Literary Style
essayistic style drawing on wide historical contextexplanatory and analytical voice combining cultural comparison and on-the-ground observation
Recurring Motifs
East–West relationslimits of tolerancewar and memory

Legacy

A prominent writer on Asian culture and Western perceptions, internationally known for books on history and cultural criticism. Recipient of major prizes such as the Erasmus Prize; influential as both author and editor, sometimes amid controversy.

In Popular Culture

  • Public intellectual frequently appearing in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio

Quotes

  • I'm no judge of the rights and wrongs of every allegation. ... The exact nature of [his] behavior — how much consent was involved — I have no idea, nor is it really my concern.
    Source: Interview with Slate (2018) (2018)

Trivia

  • Nephew of film director John Schlesinger
  • Studied Chinese literature at Leiden University; obtained Candidate degree in 1975
  • Luce Professor at Bard College (2003–2017)
  • Erasmus Prize laureate (2008)