Akutagawa Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 125 (2001) award
Genyu Munehisa
げんゆう むねひさ
Genyu Munehisa
Pen Names:
Kazama Soko（Used for short stories and poetry）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1976-04-03 （Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kyoto (birth and youth) → Tokyo (professional period)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Poet, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1999-
- Memberships
- Japan Writers Association
- Influenced By
- Haruo Sato, Modernist literature, Anglo-American postmodern writers
- Influenced
- A generation of younger writers focusing on memory and urban themes
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto University | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | 文学士 | 1994-1998 | Japan |
Kyoto University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
文学士
Period:
1994-1998
Year of Graduation:
1998
Country:
Japan
Published works in doujinshi during studies
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Shinpu Literary Prize | Folds of Night | — | Shinpu Literary Association | Winner |
| 2003 | Young Writers' Award | Memory of Grass | — | Young Writers' Promotion Society | Winner |
Shinpu Literary Prize
2017
Work:
Folds of Night
Organization:
Shinpu Literary Association
Result:
Winner
Young Writers' Award
2003
Work:
Memory of Grass
Organization:
Young Writers' Promotion Society
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Folds of Night
2016 Novel 312 pagesA contemplative novel set in old Kyoto, exploring lost memories and familial renewal.
memoryfamilyurban life
Adaptations
- [Film] Folds of Night / 佐々木誠 (2019)
Translations
- English translation 'Folds of Night' (translated by M. Smith)
Memory of Grass
2002 Short story collection 176 pagesA collection of early short stories that depict fragments of everyday life and seams of memory.
memorylosseveryday life
Light of Alleys
2008 Novella & Short Stories 224 pagesA short collection portraying restrained emotions of people living in city alleys.
urbanitylonelinessrelationships
Bibliography
- Short Nights
- Memory of Grass
- Light of Alleys
- Margins of Landscape
- Folds of Night
Adaptations
- Film 'Folds of Night' (2019)
Translations of Works
- English translation 'Folds of Night'
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Quiet, introspective proseDetail-oriented description
- Recurring Motifs
- fragments of memoryalleys and old townscapesfamily relationships
Legacy
Known for works centered on memory and the city, his introspective style has influenced contemporary younger writers. Film adaptations have brought some works to a wider audience.
Academic Societies
- Japanese Society for Contemporary Literature
In Popular Culture
- The novel 'Folds of Night' was adapted into a film, influencing younger readership.
Quotes
-
Memory is like the scraps of cloth we gently layer upon ourselves.
Source: 'Folds of Night' (2016)
Trivia
- Started publishing in doujinshi while at university.
- Occasionally publishes poetry under a pen name.