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Osamu Fujitani

ふじたに おさむ

Fujitani Osamu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-11-23 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Shimokitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Bookshop owner, Scriptwriter, Essayist
Active Years
2003-
Influenced By
Jorge Luis Borges

Education

Nihon University
College/Faculty of Art / Department of Film
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Department of Film

Awards

Shincho New Writers' Award
2002
Work: Ogata Q, the Woman
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: Nominee
Mishima Yukio Prize
2008
Work: Someday the Coffin Will Come
Organization: Mishima Yukio Prize Committee
Result: Nominee
Honya Taisho (Booksellers' Award)
2010
Work: Get on the Boat!
Organization: Honya Taisho Executive Committee
Result: Nominee
Oda Sakunosuke Prize
2012
Work: Waga Ihō (My Foreign Land)
Organization: Oda Sakunosuke Prize Committee
Result: Nominee
Oda Sakunosuke Prize
2014
Work: The Most Beautiful in the World
Organization: Oda Sakunosuke Prize Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Andante Mozzarella Cheese

2003 Novel

Debut novel published while running a bookshop after working as a company employee; an ensemble piece interweaving music and everyday nuances.

musiceveryday lifeensemble

Get on the Boat!

2008 Coming-of-age / Youth novel

A long-form music novel following young people growing through cello and ensemble performance; released in three parts and adapted for the stage; considered one of the author's representative works.

musiccoming-of-agefriendship
Adaptations
  • [Stage play] Get on the Boat! (Stage adaptation) (2013)

Shimokitazawa

2006 Novel

An ensemble novel set in Shimokitazawa, featuring vivid depictions of the neighborhood informed by the author's experience as a bookstore owner.

urban lifecommunityyouth

The Most Beautiful in the World

2013 Novel

Winner of the Oda Sakunosuke Prize. A work noted for its depiction of beauty, loss and the bittersweet aspects of everyday life.

beautylosseveryday life

Waga Ihō (My Foreign Land)

2012 Novel

A mid-length novel exploring feelings of otherness and alienation; was shortlisted for the Oda Sakunosuke Prize.

alienationidentityjourney

Bibliography

  • Andante Mozzarella Cheese
  • Ogata Q, the Woman
  • Inaka no Senkyo (Countryside Election)
  • The Loves of Tanada-kun
  • Stories of Indomitable Spirit: Overcoming Adversity from 112 to 0
  • Shimokitazawa
  • Invisible to Anyone
  • Someday the Coffin Will Come
  • Matatabi Pass
  • The Music of a Washbasin
  • Two Cities
  • Marriage Impossible
  • Get on the Boat! I (Ensemble and Concerto)
  • Get on the Boat! II (Solo)
  • Get on the Boat! III (Ensemble Concerto)
  • Distant Echo
  • Our Secrets
  • Nurete ni Awa
  • Waga Ihō (My Foreign Land)
  • Like a Flower
  • The Most Beautiful in the World
  • Burn, Anzu
  • Playing Cello On Board
  • This Is How I Write
  • Heart Beat (co-authored)
  • East and West 1 (co-authored)
  • East and West 2 (co-authored)
  • Polyrhythm (co-authored)

Adaptations

  • Symphonic/theatrical production "Get on the Boat!" (stage adaptation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Youth-oriented narrativeMusic-centered story constructionAccessible, at times lyrical prose
Recurring Motifs
music (notably strings and ensemble performance)urban neighborhood life (Shimokitazawa)coming-of-age and friendship

Legacy

Known for works centered on music and youth, with the representative novel "Get on the Boat!" adapted for the stage and enjoying wide support. He was also known as the proprietor of the Shimokitazawa select bookstore "ficciones," contributing to local cultural life. He has been shortlisted for and has won literary prizes, including the Oda Sakunosuke Prize.

In Popular Culture

  • The stage adaptation of "Get on the Boat!" and stories about the "ficciones" bookshop are known in popular culture.

Trivia

  • Opened the select bookshop "ficciones" in Shimokitazawa in 1998; the shop closed in 2014.
  • In 2010 the author's cello — the model for the instrument played by the protagonist of "Get on the Boat!" — was stolen but was later recovered.