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Atsuko Suga

すが あつこ

Suga Atsuko

Aliases: Atsuko Ricca Suga

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1929-01-19 （Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan）
Died
1998-03-20 （Tokyo, Japan） age 69
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, Italian, French, English
Religion
Catholicism Baptized in 1947 （Baptismal Name: Maria Anna）
Residence History
Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan → Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Milan, Italy → Rome, Italy → Perugia, Italy → Nerima, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Essayist, Italian literature scholar, Translator, University lecturer, Adjunct lecturer
Active Years
1956-1998
Affiliations
Sophia University, Keio University, Kyoto University, University of the Sacred Heart (Japan), The University of Tokyo, Bunka Gakuin, NHK (Italian language section)
Influenced By
Natalia Ginzburg, Italo Calvino, Antonio Tabucchi, Umberto Saba, Giuseppe Ungaretti, David Maria Turoldo
Influenced
Yasuhide Wakamatsu (scholar, critic influenced by Suga's essays), Hiromi Kawakami (writer influenced by Suga's essays)

Education

University of the Sacred Heart (Japan)
Faculty of Letters / Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Degree: 学士
Period: 1945-1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Japan
One of the first graduates; translated Willa Cather as a graduation work.
Keio University Graduate School
Graduate School of Sociology / Department of Sociology
Degree: 修士課程中退
Period: 1953 (中退)
Country: Japan
Left program to study in Paris.
University of Paris
Faculty of Letters / Comparative Literature
Degree: 聴講生
Period: 1953-1955
Country: France
Studied comparative literature as a government-funded student.
Keio University
Graduate School / Graduate School of Letters
Degree: 文学博士
Period: 1979-1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: Japan
Earned a Doctor of Literature for research on Ungaretti's poetics.

Awards

Pico della Mirandola Prize
1989
Work: Translation of 'The Manzoni Family' (Natalia Ginzburg)
Organization: Pico della Mirandola Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Women's Literature Prize
1991
Work: Milano: Foggy Landscapes
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Essay Award
1991
Work: Milano: Foggy Landscapes
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Mediterranean Society Prize
1994
Organization: Mediterranean Society
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Milano: Foggy Landscapes

1990 Essays 200 pages

A collection of essays mixing memories from her time in Italy with reflections on urban landscapes; quietly depicts Milan's fog and the details of city life.

Italian landscapesmemoryurban solitudetravel
Adaptations
  • [Radio reading] Milano: Foggy Landscapes (selected readings) / 井上あさひ（読み手／朗読） (2025)

Friends of the Corsia Bookshop

1992 Essays / Memoir 220 pages

A memoir-like essay recounting the Corsia bookshop in Milan, the people she met there, and reflections on community and poverty.

communityencounterspoverty and solidarityreading

An Inn in Venice

1993 Essays 180 pages

An essay collection centered on stays and memories in Venice, including insights into the city's history and aesthetic sensibility.

urban memoryaesthetic sensibilitytravel

Hills and Streets of Trieste

1995 Essays 190 pages

Essays on the landscapes of Trieste and related reflections, delving into the relationship between memory and place.

place and memorylandscape depictionhistory

Bibliography

  • Milano: Foggy Landscapes (1990)
  • Friends of the Corsia Bookshop (1992)
  • An Inn in Venice (1993)
  • Hills and Streets of Trieste (1995)
  • Yves/Yourcenar's Shoes (1996)
  • Italian Poets (1998)
  • Books of a Distant Morning (1998)
  • Read by Books (1998)
  • Roads Without Maps (1999)
  • Journeys of the Heart (2002)

Adaptations

  • Documentary series 'To Italy... Atsuko Suga: A Quiet Soul's Journey' (BS Asahi, 2006-2008)
  • ETV Special 'Atsuko Suga: Recollections of Foggy Italy' (NHK, 2009)
  • Reading project 'Milano: Foggy Landscapes' NHK-FM (2025 radio readings)

Translations by Author

  • Natalia Ginzburg 'The Manzoni Family' (Japanese translation)
  • Antonio Tabucchi 'Indian Nocturne' (Japanese translation)
  • Italo Calvino 'Why Read the Classics' (Japanese translation)
  • Umberto Saba Collected Poems (Japanese translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
quiet, meticulous essayistic proselyrical depictions linking memory and landscapecalm yet insightful narration
Recurring Motifs
nostalgia for Italytravel and memorysolitude and communitybooks and reading scenes

Health

  • Ovarian tumor
    1997
    Underwent surgery; affected her health thereafter.
  • Heart failure
    1998-03-20
    Died of heart failure.

Legacy

She significantly contributed to the reception of Italian literature in Japan through her translations; also highly regarded as an essayist. Her influence continues after her death, including the establishment of the Atsuko Suga Translation Prize.

Academic Societies

  • Mediterranean Society

In Popular Culture

  • Atsuko Suga Translation Prize (established 2014)
  • Her 1961 international marriage (to Giuseppe Ricca Suga) was televised at the time.
  • Documentaries and specials about her life have been produced by BS Asahi and NHK.

Trivia

  • Her husband was Italian Giuseppe Ricca (Peppino).
  • The couple worked together on Italian translations of Japanese literature.
  • Her baptismal name was Maria Anna.
  • The Atsuko Suga Translation Prize was established after her death.
  • Her husband died suddenly in 1967; she returned to Japan in 1971.