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Takashi Hiraide

ひらいで たかし

Takashi Hiraide

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-11-21 （Moji (now part of Kitakyūshū), Fukuoka, Japan）
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
poet, critic, book designer, professor
Active Years
1976-
Affiliations
Tama Art University (faculty), Kawade Shobō Shinsha (worked as editor)

Education

Hitotsubashi University
Country: Japan
Graduated in the 1970s. Exact year not specified.
University of Iowa (International Writing Program)
Period: 1985（3か月の在籍・詩人滞在）
Country: United States
Participated as poet in residence in 1985.

Awards

Minister of Education Prize for the New Writer
1982
Work: For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (original Japanese publication)
Result: winner
Yomiuri Literary Award
1993
Work: Notes for My Left-hand Diary
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Kiyama Shōhei Literary Award
2001
Work: The Guest Cat (original Japanese publication)
Result: winner
Travel Writing Award
2002
Work: The Berlin Moment
Result: winner
Best Translated Book Award (Poetry)
2009
Work: For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (translated edition)
Organization: Best Translated Book Award
Result: winner
New York Times Bestseller List
2014
Work: The Guest Cat (English translation)
Organization: The New York Times
Result: bestseller

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Guest Cat

2001 novel

A short novel about a middle-aged couple and a stray cat that visits them. Through the cat, the book gently explores everyday life, changing relationships, loss, and reflection.

catseveryday lifesolituderelationships
Translations
  • English translation by Eric Selland (2014)

For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut

1982 poetry collection

A collection of poems that delicately captures everyday objects and memories in poetic language. The work has been noted for its literary experimentation and critical reception.

memoryobservation of everyday lifemateriality
Translations
  • English translation (published 2008)

Postcards to Donald Evans

2003 poetry / prose

A collection of poetic fragments and essays framed as postcards addressed to artist Donald Evans.

lettersartmemory
Translations
  • English edition (Tibor De Nagy, 2003)

Bibliography

  • The Inn (poetry, 1976)
  • For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (original Japanese publication, 1982)
  • Notes for My Left-hand Diary (1993)
  • The Guest Cat (original Japanese publication, 2001)
  • Postcards to Donald Evans (English edition, 2003)

Translations of Works

  • The Guest Cat — English translation by Eric Selland (2014)
  • For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut — English translation (2008)
  • Postcards to Donald Evans — English edition (2003)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic-prose stylequiet, precise description
Recurring Motifs
catsdetails of everyday lifememory and time

Legacy

Hiraide is respected domestically and internationally as a poet and essayist. The English translation of The Guest Cat brought him international attention, including placement on the New York Times bestseller list. He has been invited to exhibitions and residencies, and is regarded as a writer who expanded the possibilities of poetic prose.

Museums

  • Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
  • Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art (exhibition) Chiba, Japan

Quotes

  • An experiment that gives birth to a new kind of prose from within poetry.
    Source: Comment by Kenzaburō Ōe

Trivia

  • The English translation of The Guest Cat reached the New York Times bestseller list in 2014.
  • Participated in the University of Iowa International Writing Program as a poet in residence in 1985.
  • His poetry and book-design work have been presented in exhibitions domestically and internationally.