Japanese Literary Awards

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Takashi Hiraide

ひらいで たかし

Hiraide Takashi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-11-21 （Moji (now Moji-ku, Kitakyushu), Fukuoka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Moji (Moji-ku), Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan → Kanda-Jimbocho, Tokyo, Japan (while a student) → Berlin, Germany (1998–1999, as visiting professor)

Career

Occupations
poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, university lecturer
Active Years
1972-
Affiliations
Tama Art University, Institute of Art Anthropology, Tama Art University, Kawade Shobo Shinsha (former editor)
Memberships
Institute of Art Anthropology, Tama Art University, Shokiki-shorin (publisher/press), via wwalnuts (publisher; editorial and publishing activities)
Nominations
Mishima Yukio Prize (shortlisted, 2003), Candidate for 'The Most Beautiful Book in the World' at the Leipzig Book Fair (2005)

Education

Fukuoka Prefectural Kokura High School
Country: Japan
Attended this high school (exact years not specified in sources)
Hitotsubashi University
Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Sociology
Degree: 学士
Period: 1972-1976
Year of Graduation: 1976
Country: Japan
Also attended the private art school 'Bigakkō' in Kanda-Jimbocho while a student
Bigakkō (art school, Kanda-Jimbocho)
Country: Japan
Non-degree art courses attended while a university student

Awards

Arts Encouragement Prize (Newcomer) by the Minister of Education
1982
Work: For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut
Category: 新人賞（詩）
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Kitakyushu Citizens' Cultural Award
1994
Organization: Kitakyushu City
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1994
Work: Left-Hand Diary: Prefatory Remarks
Category: 散文
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Kiyama Shōhei Literary Prize
2003
Work: The Guest Cat
Category: 小説
Organization: Kiyama Shōhei Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Mishima Yukio Prize (nominated)
2003
Work: The Guest Cat
Category: 小説
Organization: Mishima Yukio Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Travel Literature Award
2003
Work: Berlin Moments
Category: 紀行
Organization: Travel Literature Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
2004
Work: Irako Seihaku
Category: 評伝
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (Book Design Contest)
2004
Work: Irako Seihaku (self-designed edition)
Category: 造本・装幀
Organization: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Award (42nd)
2004
Work: Complete achievements related to Irako Seihaku
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Best Translated Book Award
2008
Work: For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (English translation)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Best Translated Book Award
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hatagoya

1976 Poetry collection

His first poetry collection, published in 1976 by Shiyosha.

traveleveryday lifememory

For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut

1982 Poetry collection

A 1982 poetry collection noted for its poetic radicalism; it has been translated and received international recognition.

naturememorypoetic experimentation
Translations
  • English translation: For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (Sawako Nakayasu, New Directions, 2008)

Left-Hand Diary: Prefatory Remarks

1993 Prose / Essays

A collection of prose published in 1993; it won the 45th Yomiuri Literary Prize.

personal historyeveryday lifeobservation and description

The Guest Cat

2001 Novel

A quietly observed novel about home and small events. It has been widely translated and became an international bestseller.

homecatseveryday detailloss and renewal
Translations
  • English translation: The Guest Cat (Eric Selland, 2014)
  • French translation: Le chat qui venait du ciel (Elisabeth Suetsugu, 2004)
  • Spanish translation: El gato que venía del cielo (2014)
  • Dutch translation: De Kat (2015)
  • Italian translation: Il gatto venuto dal cielo (2015)
  • Swedish translation: Gästkatten (2015)
  • German translation: Der Gast im Garten (2016)
  • Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan): 稻妻小路的貓 (2016)
  • Polish translation (2016)

Berlin Moments

2002 Travel literature

A travelogue chronicling his time in Berlin, recognized within travel literature.

citymemoryresidence

Irako Seihaku

2003 Biography / Critical study

A biography and critical study of the writer Irako Seihaku; notable for its content and its self-designed book production.

biographybook designscholarship

Looking for Birds

2010 Novel

A novel from 2010 with a short-episode structure dealing with nature and memory.

naturesearchrecollection

Bibliography

  • Hatagoya (Shiyosha, 1976)
  • Takashi Hiraide: Collected Poems (Shicho-sha, 1977)
  • Fate of a Shipwreck (Shicho-sha, 1982)
  • For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut (Shicho-sha, 1982)
  • Portrait of a Young Bonesetter (Ozawa Shoten, 1984)
  • The Tip of the Attack (Ozawa Shoten, 1985)
  • Green Flashes of the House (Shoshi Yamada, 1987)
  • The Poetics of Baseball (Chikuma Shobo, 1989)
  • In Praise of the White Ball (Iwanami Shinsho, 1989)
  • Collected Poems (Shicho-sha, 1990)
  • Doubts of Light (Ozawa Shoten, 1992)
  • Left-Hand Diary: Prefatory Remarks (Hakusuisha, 1993)
  • One Hundred Funeral Poems for Father (Fushiki Shoin, 2000)
  • Postcards to Donald Evans (Sakuhinsha, 2001)
  • The Guest Cat (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2001)
  • Berlin Moments (Shueisha, 2002)
  • Irako Seihaku (Shinchosha, 2003)
  • William Blake's Bat (Gengi Shobo, 2004; new ed. 2012)
  • Many-way Passageways (Shoshi Yamada, 2004)
  • The Graphism of Strolling (Iwanami Shoten, 2007)
  • Looking for Birds (Fusosha, 2010)
  • My Trip to Tiergarten (Kinokuniya, 2018)

Translations of Works

  • For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut — English translation (Sawako Nakayasu, New Directions)
  • Postcards to Donald Evans — English translation (Tomoyuki Iino, Tibor De Nagy Foundations, 2003)
  • The Guest Cat — English translation (Eric Selland, 2014) and many others (French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, German, Chinese, Polish, etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic prose (a style that blurs the line between poetry and prose)minimalist book design and art-book production incorporating photographyclose observation and attention to detail
Recurring Motifs
catsbaseballtravel and residencehome and everyday lifememory

Legacy

Takashi Hiraide is recognized domestically and internationally as a poet and essayist; in particular, The Guest Cat became an international bestseller. He is noted both for poetic experimentation and for his approach to book design and art-book production, and through teaching and research at Tama Art University he has influenced younger generations.

Academic Societies

  • Tama Art University (faculty)

Archives

  • Takashi Hiraide archival site

In Popular Culture

  • The Guest Cat, in translation, became a bestseller on lists such as the New York Times and Sunday Times, attracting international attention.

Quotes

  • A poet who produces new prose from within poetry.
    Source: Comment by Kenzaburo Oe (introduction/praise)

Trivia

  • He long served as manager and third baseman of the amateur baseball team 'The Fauls'; the team was founded in 1976 and was the first amateur team to be formally recognized in writing by the National Baseball Hall of Fame (USA) in 1985.
  • He founded and runs the small press 'via wwalnuts', producing miniature art-books that combine his design and photography.
  • The Guest Cat has been translated into many languages and gained an international readership.