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Motoo Ando

あんどう もとお

Ando Motoo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-03-15 （Shirokanedaimachi, Shiba, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Christianity (Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan) Baptized in 1946
Residence History
Tokyo (Shirokanedai) → Tsujido, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
poet, French literature scholar, university professor, translator
Active Years
1957-
Affiliations
Meiji University (Professor Emeritus), Japan PEN Club, Japan Modern Poets' Association (former president)
Memberships
Japan Modern Poets' Association, Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
Tatsuo Hori, Michizō Tachihara, Chūya Nakahara, Sakutarō Hagiwara, Charles Baudelaire, Jules Supervielle

Education

University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1953–1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: Japan
Graduation thesis included bibliographic and critical work on Jules Supervielle
Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School (formerly First Middle School)
Period: 1946–1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: Japan
Began contributing to literary dōjinshi during high school

Awards

Takami Jun Prize
1980
Work: Years in the Water
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Gendai-shi Hanatsubaki Prize
1988
Work: Sound of the Night
Organization: Gendai-shi Hanatsubaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize
1999
Work: Songs of Circulation
Organization: Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Order of the Purple Ribbon
2002
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
2004
Work: My Normandy
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Shika Literature Museum Prize
2004
Work: My Normandy
Organization: Museum of Poetry and Poetics
Result: 受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays
2009
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Person of Cultural Merit
2022
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 顕彰

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Autumn Requiem

1957 poetry collection

Early collection of poems containing fragmentary pieces from his youth.

lossmemoryyouth

The Ship and Its Song

1972 long poem / poetry collection

Collection centered on a long poem; lyrical focus on sea and voyage.

seajourneymemory

Years in the Water

1980 poetry collection

A mature collection noted for introspective and tranquil imagery.

introspectiontimewater

Sound of the Night

1988 poetry collection

Contains poems that sensitively capture the sounds of night and darkness.

nightsolitudeauditory imagery

Songs of Circulation

1999 poetry collection (series)

A linked series of poems treating the theme of cyclical return.

circulationtimememory

My Normandy

2003 poetry / essays

Poems and essays reflecting impressions of Normandy and stays in France.

foreign landlandscapereminiscence

Under the Tree

2015 long poem

A long poem completed after many years, including retrospective views from later life.

reminiscenceagingnature

Bibliography

  • Autumn Requiem
  • The Ship and Its Song
  • Strolling the Paths of French Poetry
  • About Chairs
  • Thoughts on Habitation: Residents, Movements, Autonomy
  • Coral of Italy
  • Reading Contemporary Poetry 1976–1979
  • Years in the Water
  • When This Town Decays
  • Sound of the Night
  • Cadmium Green
  • Songs of Circulation
  • Techniques of the Fugue
  • My Normandy
  • Continued Motoo Ando Poetry Collection
  • Poetry Collection: Under the Tree
  • On Reading Les Fleurs du mal
  • Collected Poems of Motoo Ando

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and tranquil styleinfluenced by French modern poetry (Baudelaire, Supervielle); critical and translational perspective
Recurring Motifs
sea and voyagememory and timecity and nostalgia

Health

  • tuberculosis (hilar infiltration)
    1951（高校時代）
    Required temporary leave from school and prolonged convalescence; later recovered and resumed literary activity
  • coronary artery disease (angina)
    1993–2009（断続的な発作と手術）
    Underwent catheter interventions and further procedures; activity constrained at times
  • coronary artery bypass surgery and valve replacement
    2012
    Became physically disabled post-operation; required cane and experienced reduced mobility

Legacy

Motoo Ando is an important postwar Japanese poet, translator and educator who contributed significantly to the introduction and translation of French poetry, criticism and editing in contemporary Japanese poetry. He was active in local civic movements and worked to promote poetry and mentor younger poets.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Modern Poets' Association
  • Japan PEN Club

Trivia

  • Translated numerous French poets; well known for translations of Baudelaire and Supervielle.
  • Longtime participant in civic resident movements in Fujisawa, influencing local urban planning debates.
  • As a Meiji University professor, he mentored many poets and scholars.