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Ryoji Asabuki

あさぶき りょうじ

Asabuki Ryoji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1952-04-30 （Shinano-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan (Keio University Hospital)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Lived in France during childhood → Tokyo, Japan (long-term)

Career

Occupations
French literature scholar, Poet, University professor
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Keio University (Professor Emeritus / Honorary Professor), Keio University, Faculty of Law (served as faculty)
Influenced By
André Breton, Surrealist writers
Nominations
Mishima Yukio Prize candidate (1988, for 'opus')

Education

Gyosei Elementary School
Country: Japan
Gyosei Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Brief band activity (bass) during high school
Keio University, Faculty of Letters (Department of French Literature)
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Degree: 文学士
Period: 1971-1975
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: Japan
Keio University Graduate School, Graduate School of Letters (French Literature)
Graduate School of Letters / French Literature
Degree: 文学修士
Period: 1977-1979
Year of Graduation: 1979
Country: Japan
Received M.A. in 1979; left doctoral program after earning credits in 1982

Awards

Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1987
Work: opus
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Nobuo Ayukawa Prize
2011
Work: Mabayui Bakari no
Category: 詩集部門
Organization: Nobuo Ayukawa Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Fukuzawa Prize
2016
Work: The Poetic World of André Breton
Organization: Keio University
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

End and Kingdom (poetry)

1979 Poetry

Early poetry collection marked by experimental language and symbolism.

deathkingdomsymbolism

opus

1987 Poetry collection

One of his notable works, published 1987; won the Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize.

linguistic experimentationfragmentationinner imagery

Theory of the Closed Room

1989 Poetry / Essays

A work combining poetic practice with conceptual essays.

closed spacessemioticssubjectivity

Mabayui Bakari no

2010 Poetry collection

Published after a long hiatus; won the Nobuo Ayukawa Prize.

renewalmemorylight

The Poetic World of André Breton

2015 Scholarly study

A study on Breton's poetry, summarizing research on Surrealism.

Surrealismpoeticstranslation and interpretation

Bibliography

  • End and Kingdom (poetry), Seidosha, 1979
  • Seal That Brow, Seidosha, 1982
  • Ryoji Asabuki Poetry Collection, Shicho-sha, 1985
  • opus, Shicho-sha, 1987
  • Theory of the Closed Room, Shichigatsu-do, 1989
  • Collected Poems (Modern Poetry Library), Shicho-sha, 1992
  • Bright Box, Shicho-sha, 1994
  • Mabayui Bakari no, Shicho-sha, 2010
  • The Poetic World of André Breton, Keio University Press, 2015
  • Semiotics (co-authored with Toshiki Matsuura), Shicho-sha, 1985

Translations of Works

  • Included in An Anthology of Contemporary Japanese Poetry (Garland Publishing, 1993)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Surrealist tendenciessymbolic and fragmentary lineslinguistic experimentation
Recurring Motifs
closed roomssigns/semioticssolitudelight and shadow

Legacy

Recognized as both a scholar of French literature and a poet. Noted for Surrealism research and award-winning poetry collections; his long career at Keio University has influenced subsequent generations.

Academic Societies

  • Japanese literary research community
  • Keio University affiliated societies

Archives

  • Holdings in the National Diet Library (related bibliographies)
  • Keio University archives (affiliated materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Collaborations with contemporary musician Yasuji Takahashi integrating poetry and music

Trivia

  • Known as a cat lover
  • Hobby: making guitars
  • Played bass in a band during high school