Bungakukai Newcomer Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 48 (1979) honorable mention
Masashi Matsuie
まついえ まさし
Matsuie Masashi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1958-12-05 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, editor, university professor
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Affiliations
- Shinchosha, Keio University, Faculty of Policy Management (Visiting Professor), Tsuru & Hana Co. (Director)
- Memberships
- Mishima Yukio Prize selection committee member
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University, First Faculty of Letters | First Faculty of Letters | — | — | — | Japan |
Waseda University, First Faculty of Letters
First Faculty of Letters
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
Japan
While a student won an honorable mention in the 48th Bungakukai Newcomer Prize for 'Yoru no Ki'; after graduation he joined Shinchosha.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Bungakukai Newcomer Prize | Yoru no Ki (The Night Tree) | 佳作 | Bungakukai (Literary World) | 佳作受賞 |
| 2013 | Noma Literary New Face Prize | At the Foot of the Volcano | — | Noma Cultural Foundation | 候補 |
| 2013 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | At the Foot of the Volcano | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Kinobes! (Kinokuniya selection) | Sinking Francis | 年間ランキング | Kinokuniya Bookstore | 第4位（キノベス!2014） |
| 2018 | Arts Encouragement Prize — Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award | The Dog of Light | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Kawai Hayao Story Prize | The Dog of Light | — | Kawai Hayao Story Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Bungakukai Newcomer Prize
1979
Work:
Yoru no Ki (The Night Tree)
Category:
佳作
Organization:
Bungakukai (Literary World)
Result:
佳作受賞
Noma Literary New Face Prize
2013
Work:
At the Foot of the Volcano
Organization:
Noma Cultural Foundation
Result:
候補
Yomiuri Literary Prize
2013
Work:
At the Foot of the Volcano
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Kinobes! (Kinokuniya selection)
2013
Work:
Sinking Francis
Category:
年間ランキング
Organization:
Kinokuniya Bookstore
Result:
第4位（キノベス!2014）
Arts Encouragement Prize — Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
2018
Work:
The Dog of Light
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result:
受賞
Kawai Hayao Story Prize
2018
Work:
The Dog of Light
Organization:
Kawai Hayao Story Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 64 (2012) award
Works
Major Works
At the Foot of the Volcano
2012 novelA novel set against a local landscape that explores intertwined family ties and personal memory, using restrained prose to probe the inner lives of its characters.
familymemoryregional landscape and nature
Sinking Francis
2013 novelA story about relationships and loss, in which the solitude of its characters and the shadows of the past quietly propel the narrative.
losslonelinessshadows of the past
I Don't Know If It's Elegant
2014 short stories / essaysA collection of essayistic pieces and short writings that capture details of everyday life, repeatedly questioning the boundary of what might be called 'elegant'.
everyday lifeaestheticsobservation
The Dog of Light
2017 novelInterweaving multiple perspectives, this novel examines loss, hope, and the nature of community; it is one of his award-winning representative works.
loss and renewalcommunityhope
Bubble
2021 novelA work themed around ephemerality and transience, delicately portraying the fragility and flux of human relationships.
ephemeralityhuman relationshipstime
A Place Even Angels Fear to Tread (Vol. 1 & 2)
2025 novelA two-volume major work that addresses ethics, the limits of daily life, and the wavering of human nature.
ethicshuman naturelimits
Bibliography
- At the Foot of the Volcano
- Sinking Francis
- I Don't Know If It's Elegant
- The Dog of Light
- Bubble
- A Place Even Angels Fear to Tread (Vol. 1 & 2)
- Hyogensha (co-authored)
- The Books of Itami Jun (editor)
- Selected Works of Itami Jun (co-editor)
- Beautiful Children (editor)
Translations by Author
- Anthony Doerr
- Jhumpa Lahiri
- Nam Le
- Lyudmila Ulitskaya
- Miranda July
- Clemens Meyer
- Dimitri Verhulst
- Wells Tower
- Nathan Englander
- Bernhard Schlink
- Alice Munro
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- restrained, tranquil prosesubtle psychological depictionobservational contemporary fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- memoryfamilyrural vs. urbanpassage of time
Legacy
A writer who, after a long career as an editor and academic appointment, re-emerged as a novelist. Since 'At the Foot of the Volcano' he has established a reputation for layered character portrayals and restrained prose, receiving major honors including the Yomiuri Literary Prize.
Trivia
- Made his literary debut with an honorable mention in the Bungakukai Newcomer Prize while at Waseda University.
- Longtime Shinchosha editor involved in launching Shincho Crest Books and the quarterly magazine 'Kangaeru Hito'.
- Served as a visiting professor at Keio University, Faculty of Policy Management (until spring 2014).
- Left Shinchosha in 2010 and has continued both editorial work and writing.