Akutagawa Prize
1 appearances
Ariichi Aoki
あおき ありいち
Aoki Ariichi
Pen Names:
A. Aoki（Used for short stories and columns）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1978-04-12 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan → Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, Screenwriter
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Affiliations
- Japan Writers' Association
- Memberships
- Japan PEN Club, Japan Writers' Association
- Influenced By
- Haruki Murakami, Hiromi Kawakami
- Influenced
- Hanako Kobayashi (fictional)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | Bachelor of Arts | 1997-2001 | Japan |
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Period:
1997-2001
Year of Graduation:
2001
Country:
Japan
Published short stories in literary magazines while enrolled
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Yokohama Literary Prize | Summer Veranda | 小説 | Yokohama Literature Promotion Association | winner |
| 2018 | Hokkaido Literary Prize | How to Walk at Night | 小説 | Hokkaido Literary Promotion Foundation | winner |
Yokohama Literary Prize
2011
Work:
Summer Veranda
Category:
小説
Organization:
Yokohama Literature Promotion Association
Result:
winner
Hokkaido Literary Prize
2018
Work:
How to Walk at Night
Category:
小説
Organization:
Hokkaido Literary Promotion Foundation
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
How to Walk at Night
2017 Contemporary fiction 312 pagesSet in the city at night, this novel connects fragments of characters wandering through memory and loneliness. Through temporal ambiguity and delicate psychological portraits, it explores subtle fractures in human relationships.
lonelinessurban lifememory
Adaptations
- [Film] How to Walk at Night / 佐藤健一 (2020)
Translations
- English translation: How to Walk at Night (trans. John Smith)
- Korean translation: Bam-ui Sanchaek (trans. Kim Young)
Summer Veranda
2011 Short story collection 184 pagesA collection of short stories about family and seasonal change. It delicately portrays the unease and warmth that lurk in everyday life.
familytimenostalgia
Bibliography
- Transparent Garden (Short stories, 2005)
- Summer Veranda (Short stories, 2011)
- How to Walk at Night (Novel, 2017)
- Days Watching the Sea (Essays, 2022)
Adaptations
- How to Walk at Night (film adaptation, 2020)
Translations of Works
- How to Walk at Night — English edition (2019)
- How to Walk at Night — Korean edition (2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- calm, lyrical proseintrospective perspective
- Recurring Motifs
- nightstairscatsseaside imagery
Legacy
He is regarded as a writer who captures urban loneliness and landscapes of memory, influencing peers and younger writers. With film adaptations and translations, his work has reached audiences domestically and internationally, making him a notable figure in contemporary Japanese literature.
Academic Societies
- Japanese Association for Contemporary Literature
Archives
- Yokohama City Museum of Literature - Ariichi Aoki Collection
In Popular Culture
- The film adaptation of his major work temporarily boosted local tourism in areas featured in the film
Quotes
-
Night never gives a clear answer. Yet we keep walking—not to find where the answers are, but because there is meaning in the act of walking itself.
Source: How to Walk at Night (2017) (2017)
Trivia
- Helped produce a college radio program during university
- Has a habit of writing with his cat nearby