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Akira Mizubayashi

みずばやし あきら

Mizubayashi Akira

Pen Names: Akira MizubayashiName used for works published in French

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1951-08-05 (Yamagata Prefecture, Japan)
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French
Residence History
Yamagata Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Paris, France

Career

Occupations
French literature scholar, Writer, Translator, University professor
Affiliations
Meiji University (Faculty of Letters) - Lecturer/Associate Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies - Associate Professor/Professor, Sophia University - Professor (Professor Emeritus)
Influenced By
Molière, Honoré de Balzac, Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Education

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Faculty of Foreign Studies / Department of French
Country: Japan
Undergraduate degree (graduated)
The University of Tokyo, Graduate School
Faculty of Letters (graduate) / Department of French Literature (Doctoral program)
Degree: 満期退学
Country: Japan
Left doctoral program after completing required period (no degree at that time)
École Normale Supérieure (Ulm)
Country: France
Study at ENS Ulm (exchange/study abroad)
University of Paris 7 (Université Paris Diderot)
Doctoral program
Degree: 第三期課程博士
Country: France
Completed doctoral studies

Awards

Richelieu Literary Prize
2013
Organization: Richelieu Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2014
Organization: Ministry of Culture (France) - Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Result: 受章
Honorary Doctorate (Université Grenoble III)
2015
Organization: Université Grenoble III
Result: 授与
Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
2017
Organization: Légion d'honneur (France)
Result: 受章
Honorary Doctorate (University of Montpellier III)
2017
Organization: University of Montpellier III (Paul Valéry)
Result: 授与
Honorary Doctorate (University of Reims)
2019
Organization: University of Reims
Result: 授与
Livres & Musiques de Deauville Literary Prize
2020
Work: Broken Soul
Organization: Livres & Musiques de Deauville
Result: 受賞
Arts Encouragement Prize — Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
2022
Work: Broken Soul
Category: 文部科学大臣賞
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Encouragement Prize)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Will to Happiness: The Écriture of 'Civilization'

1994 Literary criticism

A scholarly study examining the relationship between the process of 'civilization' and literary expression, using French literature to explore issues of the public, morality, and representation.

civilizationliterary theorycitizenship
Translations

The Burial of Don Juan: History and Society in Molière's 'Don Juan'

1996 Literary criticism

A study that interprets Molière's 'Don Juan' in its historical and social contexts, analyzing themes of ethics and the public sphere in the play.

Molièretheatrepublic sphere
Translations

The Birth of the Public, The Emergence of Literature: Rousseauian Experience and the Modern Age

2003 Literary and intellectual history

Discusses Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas to examine the formation of the public and the emergence of literature, addressing modern experience and representation.

Rousseaupublic spheremodernity
Translations

Candide: The Young Man Before 'War'

2005 Literary criticism

A textual study interpreting Voltaire's 'Candide' in relation to war and the experience of youth.

Voltairewartextual analysis
Translations

Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' Readings: The Republic in the Dark

2007 Music and literary criticism

An essay re-examining music, politics, and republican themes through Mozart's opera 'The Marriage of Figaro'.

Mozartoperapolitics and art
Translations

Being Born into Japanese, Living in French: On the Society and Language of the Coming Citizenry

2023 Essays / Cultural criticism

An essay collection reflecting on bilingual experience between Japanese and French and the language of civic society.

language and identitycivil societyJapan–France relations
Translations

Une langue venue d'ailleurs (A Language from Elsewhere: My French Life)

2011 Memoir / Essays

An autobiographical essay collection written in French, recounting the author's linguistic experience between Japanese and French.

memoirlinguistic experiencemobility and belonging
Translations
  • Japanese translation (self-translation) Misuzu Shobo 2021

Broken Soul

2019 Novel

A novel first published in French, dealing with loss, memory and language.

lossmemorylanguage
Translations
  • Japanese translation (translator: Akira Mizubayashi) Misuzu Shobo 2021

Bibliography

  • The Will to Happiness: The Écriture of 'Civilization' (Misuzu Shobo, 1994)
  • The Burial of Don Juan: History and Society in Molière's 'Don Juan' (Yamakawa Shuppansha, 1996)
  • The Birth of the Public, The Emergence of Literature: Rousseauian Experience and the Modern Age (Misuzu Shobo, 2003)
  • Candide: The Young Man Before 'War' (Misuzu Shobo, 2005)
  • Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' Readings: The Republic in the Dark (Misuzu Shobo, 2007)
  • Une langue venue d'ailleurs (Gallimard, 2011)
  • Broken Soul (original in French 2019; Japanese translation Misuzu Shobo 2021)
  • Being Born into Japanese, Living in French (Shunjūsha, 2023)

Translations by Author

  • Co-translation of Roger Chartier (ed.), 'From Book to Reading' (co-translators: Toshiaki Izumi, Toshikazu Tsuyuzaki; Misuzu Shobo, 1992)
  • Translation of J.-M. Apostolidès, 'Le Roi en Machine' (Misuzu Shobo, 1996)
  • Translation of Daniel Pennac, 'La Douleur de l'École' (Misuzu Shobo, 2009)

Translations of Works

  • Broken Soul — Japanese translation (Misuzu Shobo, 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Comparative and historicizing styleScholarly, lucid proseA bilingual voice traversing Japanese and French linguistic sensibilities
Recurring Motifs
language and identitycivilization and the public spheremusic and literaturememory and lossre-readings of Molière, Balzac, Rousseau

Legacy

He has made lasting scholarly contributions to French literary studies and, through translation and creative work, contributed significantly to literary exchange between Japan and France. He has been honored by numerous French academic and cultural institutions and is regarded as an important figure bridging Japanese and French cultural dialogue.

Trivia

  • Born 1951 in Yamagata Prefecture.
  • Professor Emeritus of Sophia University.
  • Awarded Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by the French government.
  • Official website: https://www.akira-mizubayashi.com