Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 61 (1968) Winner
Yasunari Kawabata
かわばた やすなり
Kawabata Yasunari
Pen Names:
Chikudo（Used as a personal signature and pen name）,
Chichibu Goichi（Temporary pen name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1899-06-14 （Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 1972-04-16 （Zushi Marina, Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan） age 72
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Toyokawa Village, Mishima District, Osaka Prefecture → Mabashi, Suginami Town, Toyotama District, Tokyo → Nikaido, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture → Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture → Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo → Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo → Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Literary Critic
- Active Years
- 1919-1972
- Memberships
- Japan Art Academy, Bungei Shunju Contributors, Bungei Jidai Contributors, Bungaku-kai, The Thirteen Club, Bungakkai Contributors, Japan PEN Club President, Guest of Honor, International PEN Club
- Influenced By
- Saneatsu Mushanokōji, Shu Ebma, Junichiro Tanizaki, Shūsei Tokuda, Unknown, Mikihiko Nagata, Isamu Yoshii, Shunro Oshikawa, Yaeko Nogami, Chiyoko Naito, Housui Arimoto, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Naoya Shiga, Kan Kikuchi, Riichi Yokomitsu, August Strindberg, Mikhail Artsybashev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, James Joyce, Camille Flammarion, Oliver Lodge, Ikkyu Sojun, The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book, Medieval Japanese literature, Zen, Panentheism, Matsuo Basho, Saigyo Hoshi
- Influenced
- Kaho Fujisawa, Tamio Hojo, Kanoko Okamoto, Tsuneko Nakazato, Kijiro Kajii, Takehiko Fukunaga, Akira Nogami, Hisao Sawano, Tsuneo Ishihama, Yukio Mishima, Shinichi Hoshi, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Seicho Matsumoto, Banana Yoshimoto, Yoko Ogawa, Ira Ishida, Tamaki Daido, Shinya Tanaka, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Imperial University | Faculty of Letters | Japanese Literature | 文学士 | 1920-1924 | Japan |
Tokyo Imperial University
Faculty of Letters
/ Japanese Literature
Degree:
文学士
Period:
1920-1924
Year of Graduation:
1924
Country:
Japan
Transferred from English Literature to Japanese Literature during attendance
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Bungei Konwakai Prize | — | — | Bungei Konwakai | 受賞 |
| 1944 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1958 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1952 | Imperial Art Academy Prize | — | — | Japan Art Academy | 受賞 |
| 1954 | Noma Literary Prize | — | — | Noma Literary Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1959 | Goethe Medal | — | — | Frankfurt City Cultural Office | 受賞 |
| 1960 | Order of Arts and Letters | — | — | French Government | 受賞 |
| 1961 | Order of Culture | — | — | Government of Japan | 受賞 |
| 1962 | Mainichi Publishing Culture Award | — | — | Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd. | 受賞 |
| 1968 | Nobel Prize in Literature | Snow Country, Thousand Cranes, The Old Capital, Suigetsu, Letter of a Mole | 文学賞 | Swedish Academy | 受賞 |
Bungei Konwakai Prize
1937
Organization:
Bungei Konwakai
Result:
受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1944
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1958
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Imperial Art Academy Prize
1952
Organization:
Japan Art Academy
Result:
受賞
Noma Literary Prize
1954
Organization:
Noma Literary Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Goethe Medal
1959
Organization:
Frankfurt City Cultural Office
Result:
受賞
Order of Arts and Letters
1960
Organization:
French Government
Result:
受賞
Order of Culture
1961
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1962
Organization:
Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.
Result:
受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature
1968
Work:
Snow Country, Thousand Cranes, The Old Capital, Suigetsu, Letter of a Mole
Category:
文学賞
Organization:
Swedish Academy
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Izu Dancer
1926 NovelA work based on a solo journey to Izu during his time at First High School. It depicts a heartfelt connection with an innocent girl.
InnocenceLyricismOrphan ComplexJapanese Beauty
Adaptations
- [Film] The Izu Dancer / 五所平之助 (1933)
- [Film] The Izu Dancer / 不詳 (1963)
Translations
- English
- German
Asakusa Red Troupe
1929 NovelA novel set in Asakusa depicting the bustling area and human relationships.
AsakusaPopular CultureHuman Relationships
Lyric Song
1932 NovelA mystical work themed on the pain of heartbreak.
HeartbreakSpiritualism
Beasts
1933 NovelA work featuring a nihilistic single man as the protagonist.
NihilismAnimalsLoneliness
Snow Country
1935 NovelA serialized novel set in Echigo Yuzawa, portraying Japanese beauty and pathos.
Japanese BeautyMelancholyNature
Adaptations
- [Film] Snow Country / 豊田四郎 (1964)
Translations
- English
- German
Thousand Cranes
1949 NovelA postwar masterpiece focusing on family.
FamilyPostwarPsychology
The Sound of the Mountain
1949 NovelPortrays the wounds of a family postwar, regarded as a pinnacle of postwar literature.
FamilyPostwarHealing
The House of the Sleeping Beauties
1960 NovelA fantastical work depicting a senior artist's new creation.
Demon WorldFantasyOld Age
The Old Capital
1961 NovelA work set in Kyoto depicting tradition and renewal.
TraditionKyotoTwins
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Poetic styleLyric expressionInfluence of the New Sensation SchoolAesthetics of Yugen
- Recurring Motifs
- InnocenceOrphan ComplexDemon WorldMono no awareDeath and life perspectiveJapanese Beauty
Health
-
Tuberculosis幼少期Visual impairment in the right eye and numbness in the right half of the body
-
Gallstones晩年Required hospitalization and surgery
-
Chronic use of sleeping pills晩年Symptoms of drug intoxication observed
Legacy
Yasunari Kawabata is a representative writer of modern Japanese literature and the first Japanese Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. His works focus on themes of Japanese beauty, melancholy, solitude, and perspectives on life and death, influencing many later writers. He was also known as a collector of art and antiques, with literary museums and memorial societies established after his death.
Museums
- Kawabata Yasunari Literary Museum Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture Opened in 1985
- Kawabata Yasunari Memorial Museum Hase 1-chome, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture Opened in 1976
Academic Societies
- Japan Art Academy
- Japan PEN Club
- Japan Literary Artists Association
Archives
- Modern Literature Museum of Japan
- Kamakura Literary Museum
In Popular Culture
- Literary monuments and statues have been erected across various locations.
- Appears as a character in the game "Bungo and Alchemist".
Quotes
-
No matter what weaknesses one has, eventually they contribute to one's peace of mind and resolve.
Source: Yasunari Kawabata, "Literary Autobiography" (1934) -
From now on, I shall sing only of Japan's sorrow and beauty.
Source: Yukio Mishima, "Crystal Illusions" (1931)
Trivia
- Kawabata had a habit of intense staring, which made some people uncomfortable on first meeting.
- He was a collector of art including works by Uragami Gyokudo and Kisling.
- In 1958, he was hospitalized for gallstones and received the Goethe Medal in Frankfurt in 1959.
- In his later years, he suffered physical problems due to chronic use of sleeping pills.
- His Nobel Prize acceptance speech "The Beautiful Japan and I - Its Preface" is regarded as one of his most iconic speeches.
- His cause of death is considered gas suicide, but no suicide note was found and some speculate accidental death.