Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (1950) award
Hidemi Kon
こん ひでみ
Kon Hidemi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1903-11-06 （Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan）
- Died
- 1984-07-30 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan） age 80
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, French
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan → Kobe, Hyogo, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Paris, France (resided c.1937) → Manila, Philippines (war correspondent, 1941–1944) → Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Literary critic, Translator, Theatre director, Government official
- Active Years
- 1924-1984
- Affiliations
- Meiji University, Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan), Japan Foundation, National Theatre of Japan, Tokyo National Museum
- Memberships
- Contributor/member of Bungakukai magazine
- Influenced By
- Tatsuno Takashi, Suzuki Shintaro, Murayama Tomoyoshi
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Imperial University (University of Tokyo) | Department of French Literature | French Literature | 学士（文学） | 1925-1928 | Japan |
| Old Urawa High School (prewar) | — | — | — | 1917-1922 | Japan |
Tokyo Imperial University (University of Tokyo)
Department of French Literature
/ French Literature
Degree:
学士（文学）
Period:
1925-1928
Year of Graduation:
1928
Country:
Japan
Studied under Tatsuno Takashi and Suzuki Shintaro
Old Urawa High School (prewar)
Period:
1917-1922
Year of Graduation:
1922
Country:
Japan
Completed prewar secondary education
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Naoki Prize | The Emperor's Hat | — | Naoki Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1978 | Person of Cultural Merit | — | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs | 選出 |
Naoki Prize
1950
Work:
The Emperor's Hat
Organization:
Naoki Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class
1974
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Person of Cultural Merit
1978
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Great Rose
1940 NovelDebut novel published in 1940; a long-form work from before WWII.
familyhuman relationships
Wanderings in the Mountains
1949 Essays / TravelogueA travelogue and essay collection recounting his experiences during the Philippine campaign and wartime escape.
war experiencewandering
The Emperor's Hat
1950 NovelNaoki Prize–winning 1950 novel that depicts human drama around politics and power.
politicspowerethics
Translations
- Unknown English translation status
A One-Eyed Memoir
1981 Essays / MemoirLate-career essays including reflections on losing sight in one eye after a 1966 retinal detachment.
ageingmemoryphysical change
Bibliography
- The Great Rose
- Notes East and West
- Japan's Family System
- Song of Autumn
- Philippine Campaign
- Wanderings in the Mountains
- The Emperor's Hat
- Dance of Powder and Rouge
- Human Studies
- The Tanuki Hamlet
- My Guide to People
- Women of the Mountain
- Tragic Generals
- Snow Grass
- Angry Sanpei
- Don't Cry, Gin
- On a Sunny Day
- Mr. Chop
- Drunken Ship
- A One-Eyed Memoir
Adaptations
- Peninsula's Dancer (film, starring Choi Seung-hee, 1935)
Translations by Author
- Andre Gide – 'Isabel' (translation)
- Victor Hugo – 'Ninety-Three' (translation)
- Maurice Bedel – 'Love at 60° N' (co-translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realistic depictionsocial satireconcise and forceful prose
- Recurring Motifs
- power vs individualwar experienceurban-suburban contrast
Health
-
Retinal detachment1966 -Lost sight in one eye after retinal detachment in 1966
-
Cerebral infarction (stroke)1984（死因）Died of a stroke in 1984
Legacy
Active across fiction, criticism, translation and theatre from the prewar to postwar eras, he also served as the first Director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the founding chairman of the Japan Foundation, playing a major role in Japan's cultural administration. Notable works include the Naoki Prize–winning 'The Emperor's Hat.'
Museums
- Tokyo National Museum Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan Opened in 1872
Academic Societies
- Bungakukai magazine contributors
Archives
- National Diet Library (Japan)
- The University of Tokyo Library
In Popular Culture
- His wartime essays and travelogues contributed to Japanese war literature
Trivia
- His elder brother was the novelist Im Tokō (今東光).
- Documented his wartime service in the Philippines and his 1944 escape in published works.
- Lost sight in one eye after a retinal detachment in 1966.
- Served as the first Director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs (1968) and founding chairman of the Japan Foundation (1972), organizing major cultural exchanges such as the Mona Lisa exhibition in Japan.