Takiji Yuriko Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (1983) award
Sotokichi Kusaka
くさか そときち
Kusaka Sotokichi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-08-28 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan）
- Died
- 1993-07-25 age 64
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, Russian
- Residence History
- Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan → Tokyo, Japan (Waseda University; workplace)
Career
- Occupations
- Russian literature scholar, poet, novelist, translator, university professor
- Active Years
- 1950-1993
- Affiliations
- Waseda University, Central Labour College, Nihon Fukushi University, Poets' Council
- Memberships
- Poets' Council
- Influenced By
- Alexander Pushkin, Yevgeny Evtushenko, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanagawa Prefectural Shonan High School | — | General education | — | 〜1945 | Japan |
| Imperial Japanese Naval Academy | — | Naval military education | — | 1945（入学・終戦により復員） | Japan |
| Yokohama Technical College (predecessor of Yokohama National University) | — | Engineering | — | 復員後に在学・卒業 | Japan |
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters | Russian Literature | — | 編入学・卒業 | Japan |
Kanagawa Prefectural Shonan High School
General education
Period:
〜1945
Year of Graduation:
1945
Country:
Japan
Entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy shortly before the end of WWII
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
Naval military education
Period:
1945（入学・終戦により復員）
Country:
Japan
Entered as the 77th class but returned home after the end of WWII
Yokohama Technical College (predecessor of Yokohama National University)
Engineering
Period:
復員後に在学・卒業
Country:
Japan
Graduated after the war and subsequently transferred to Waseda University
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters
/ Russian Literature
Period:
編入学・卒業
Country:
Japan
Transferred in after graduating from Yokohama Technical College and majored in Russian literature
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Takiji–Yuriko Prize | Gray Sea / Farewell to the Sea (linked novels) | — | Takiji–Yuriko Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Takiji–Yuriko Prize
Work:
Gray Sea / Farewell to the Sea (linked novels)
Organization:
Takiji–Yuriko Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Poetry Collection: Songs of Various Years
1969 PoetryAn early privately published poetry collection exploring daily life, memory, and the passage of time.
memorytimeeveryday life
Soviet Literature and the Modern Age: Creation and Freedom
1971 Literary studiesA study addressing creativity and the question of freedom in Soviet literature.
Soviet literaturefreedom of expression
Solzhenitsyn: Literature and Freedom
1975 Literary studiesAn essay analyzing the works and ideas of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
politics and literatureoppression and resistance
Poetry Collection: Sea and Sun
1977 PoetryA poetry collection centered on the sea, nature, and light.
seanaturelight
Gray Sea
1982 Novel (linked novels)Part of a linked novel sequence dealing with his Naval Academy days and the postwar demobilization, depicting war, return to civilian life, and personal trajectories.
wardemobilizationnaval lifememory
Farewell to the Sea
1988 Novel (linked novels)A companion volume to Gray Sea in the linked novel series, thematically addressing the sea, loss, and recovery.
sealossrecovery
Pushkin: The Poet of Love and Resistance
1989 Literary study / Popular biographyA work examining Pushkin's poetry and life through the lenses of love and resistance.
PushkinRussian literatureresistance
Collected Poems of Kusaka Sotokichi
1999 Collected poemsA posthumous collected edition compiling his work as a poet.
recollectionsealife
Bibliography
- Poetry Collection: Songs of Various Years (privately published) — 1969
- Soviet Literature and the Modern Age: Creation and Freedom — 1971
- Solzhenitsyn: Literature and Freedom — 1975
- Poetry Collection: Sea and Sun — 1977
- Pushkin: The Poet of Love and Resistance — 1989
- Gray Sea — 1982
- Farewell to the Sea — 1988
- Collected Poems of Kusaka Sotokichi — 1999 (posthumous)
Translations by Author
- Poems of Yevgeny Evtushenko (Iizuka Shoten) — 1962 (translator)
- Poems of Vladimir Mayakovsky (Iizuka Shoten) — 1968 (translator)
- Junior World Poetry: Russia & Soviet (Sa-e-ra Publishing) — 1972 (editor/translator)
- The Republic of the Southern Cross (Valery Bryusov, Hakusui-sha) — 1973 (translator)
- Selected Works of Lermontov (co-editor) — 1976
- Smile When You Go on a Journey (Natalya Sokolova, Sanrio SF Bunko) — 1978 (translator)
- The Pack of Wolves (Vasily Bykov, Seiji-sha) — 1979 (translator)
- The Princess of Science: A Journey of Scholarship and Love (Nikolai Matveev) — 1982 (translator)
- The Youth of Art (Andrey Voznesensky) — 1984 (translator)
- Contemporary Russian Poetry (edited and translated) — 1992
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical yet analytical prose influenced by Russian literatureNarration that overlays personal experience on historical events
- Recurring Motifs
- sea and naval lifewar and demobilizationmemory and renewalinterest in Russian literature
Legacy
As a scholar of Russian literature, translator, poet, and novelist, he helped bridge Japanese and Russian literatures. His linked novels based on naval experiences and numerous translations contributed to the introduction of contemporary Russian poetry in Japan. His teaching at Nihon Fukushi University and activities in the Poets' Council are also recognized.
Academic Societies
- Poets' Council
Archives
- Holdings in the National Diet Library, Japan
- Holdings in Waseda University Library
Trivia
- His father was Kusaka Nin'ichi, who served as principal of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy.
- He entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy as part of the 77th class in 1945 but returned home after the end of WWII.
- He studied Russian literature at Waseda University and later taught at Waseda and Nihon Fukushi University.
- He received the Takiji–Yuriko Prize for the linked novels Gray Sea and Farewell to the Sea.