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Masahiko Abe

あべ まさひこ

Abe Masahiko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1966-11-03 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Cambridge, United Kingdom (studied)

Career

Occupations
English literature scholar, literary critic, university professor, writer
Active Years
1992-
Affiliations
Teikyo University, Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology
Memberships
Wallace Stevens Society, Japan T. S. Eliot Association, The Japanese Association for American Studies, Japan Association for English Literary Studies
Influenced By
Wallace Stevens, T. S. Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Natsume Sōseki, Kenzaburo Oe

Education

Shizuoka Seiko Gakuin High School
Period: 1982-1985
Year of Graduation: 1985
Country: Japan
The University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / English and American Literature (undergraduate)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1985-1989
Year of Graduation: 1989
Country: Japan
Completed undergraduate program in English and American literature
The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences
English and American Literature (graduate program)
Degree: Master of Arts (MA)
Period: 1989-1992
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: Japan
Completed master's course
University of Cambridge
English and American Literature (Ph.D. program)
Degree: Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
Period: 1993-1997
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: United Kingdom
Doctoral thesis: "Wallace Stevens and the Aesthetic of Boredom"

Awards

Waseda Bungaku Newcomer's Prize
1998
Work: Going to the Wasteland
Organization: Waseda Bungaku
Result: 受賞
Suntory Academic Award
2013
Work: Gazing at Literature
Organization: Suntory Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Going to the Wasteland

1998 Novel

A novel exploring themes of loneliness and alienation, and contrasts between urban life and nature.

alienationestrangementurban vs. nature

Gazing at Literature

2012 Literary criticism

A critical essay collection that examines the relationship between text and reader and various issues in contemporary literature through close reading.

literary criticismclose readingcontemporary literature

Approximations of the Modern: Stevens, Oe, and the Avant-garde

2001 Scholarly criticism

A scholarly study discussing Wallace Stevens and Kenzaburo Oe, considering modernism and avant-garde expression from a comparative perspective.

modernismcomparative literaturepoetics

The Awakening of Poetic Thinking

2014 Essay / Criticism

Explores poetic thinking and examines the relationship between language and mind, and approaches to interpretation.

poetrythinkinglanguage and mind

A History of Good and Evil in English Literature: How Narrators Have Loved Readers

2015 Literary history / criticism

Re-reads English literary history from the perspective of narrator-reader relationships, discussing ethics of narration and forms of affection.

narrator-reader relationshipethics of narrationhistory of English literature

Bibliography

  • Approximations of the Modern: Stevens, Oe, and the Avant-garde (2001)
  • How to Create Improvised Literature (2004)
  • How to Understand English Poetry (2007)
  • On Slow Motion: Culture Hidden in Afterimages (2008)
  • Reader of English Prose (2010)
  • Recommendation of Novelistic Thinking: Japanese Literature Full of 'Attention-Grabbing Parts' (2012)
  • Gazing at Literature (2012)
  • The Awakening of Poetic Thinking (2014)
  • Reading English-style Thinking: English Prose Reader II (2014)
  • A History of Good and Evil in English Literature (2015)
  • The Strategy of Childlikeness: 'Cute' and the Narrative Techniques of Maturity (2015)
  • Playing with Masterpieces: Reading the First Page in a 'Graffiti' Style (2017)
  • The Worst English Policy in History: Lies Behind the '4 Skills' Signboard (2017)
  • The Ideal Listening: The English World that Hears Human Ambiguity (2020)
  • Famous Works' English That an English Literature Professor Wants to Teach (2021)

Translations by Author

  • Frank O'Connor: Selected Short Stories (Iwanami Bunko, translation)
  • The Magic Barrel and Twelve Other Stories (Bernard Malamud, Iwanami Bunko, translation)
  • A Plate of Short Stories: 50 Meals Eaten by Protagonists (translation & supervision)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
sharp critical readingscomparative literary perspectiveclear, explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
modernismaesthetic of boredomnarrator-reader relationshipintersection of language and emotion

Legacy

Active in English literary studies and literary criticism, Abe has contributed to scholarship on Anglo-American poetry and modernism, while also influencing public discourse through accessible literary commentary and education-related critique (notably on private English tests for university entrance). As a university professor he is known for teaching and mentoring students.

Academic Societies

  • Wallace Stevens Society
  • Japan T. S. Eliot Association
  • The Japanese Association for American Studies
  • Japan Association for English Literary Studies

Archives

  • National Diet Library (Japan)
  • The University of Tokyo Library

In Popular Culture

  • NHK '100-Minute Masterpieces' broadcast text (Natsume Sōseki special, 2019)

Quotes

  • Introducing private English tests into university entrance exams will place Japanese people at the bottom of English imperialism.
    Source: Daily Shincho (Weekly Shincho) / Tokyo Shimbun (summary of remarks) (2019)

Trivia

  • Received Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1997
  • Won the Waseda Bungaku Newcomer's Prize in 1998 for 'Going to the Wasteland'
  • Won the Suntory Academic Award in 2013 for 'Gazing at Literature'
  • Registered in researcher databases (researchmap, J-GLOBAL, KAKEN)
  • Active on X (formerly Twitter) as @jumping5555