Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 53 (2001) award
Michihiko Suzuki
すずき みちひこ
Suzuki Michihiko
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1929-04-26 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 2024-11-11 age 95
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, French
Career
- Occupations
- French literature scholar, Translator, University professor, Literary critic, Author
- Active Years
- 1953-2024
- Affiliations
- Hitotsubashi University, Dokkyo University
- Influenced By
- Jean-Paul Sartre, Marcel Proust
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | 学士 | 1950-1953 | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Degree:
学士
Period:
1950-1953
Year of Graduation:
1953
Country:
Japan
After graduation he entered the graduate school at the same university.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | In Search of Lost Time (complete translation, Shueisha) | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Japan Translation Culture Prize | In Search of Lost Time (complete translation) | — | — | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Japan Translation Publishing Culture Award | L'Idiot de la famille: On Gustave Flaubert (Jean-Paul Sartre, translation, complete 5 vols) | — | — | 共同受賞 |
Yomiuri Literary Prize
2002
Work:
In Search of Lost Time (complete translation, Shueisha)
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Japan Translation Culture Prize
2002
Work:
In Search of Lost Time (complete translation)
Result:
受賞
Japan Translation Publishing Culture Award
2022
Work:
L'Idiot de la famille: On Gustave Flaubert (Jean-Paul Sartre, translation, complete 5 vols)
Result:
共同受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
In Search of Lost Time (complete Japanese translation, 13 vols)
1996 Novel (translation)Complete Japanese translation of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Published by Shueisha from 1996 to 2001; this translation had a major impact on Proust scholarship and readership in Japan.
memorytimerecollectionmodernity
In Search of Lost Time (abridged Japanese edition)
1992 Novel (abridged translation)An abridged Japanese translation of In Search of Lost Time published in 1992, aimed at introducing Proust's essentials to Japanese readers.
memorytime
Studies on Proust
1985 Literary criticismA collection of essays on Proust, analyzing his work and positioning him within literary history.
Proust studiesmemory
Reading Proust
2002 Guide / literary criticismA reader-friendly guide to Proust's work, featuring insights from the perspective of a translator.
readingtranslation studies
Seasons of a Foreign Land
1986 Essays / criticismAn essay collection discussing overseas experiences, issues of resident Koreans in Japan, and cultural border-crossing.
border-crossingZainichi issues
The Birth of a French Literature Scholar: Journey to Mallarmé
2014 Biography / literary historyA biographical and literary-historical work reflecting on his career and lineage as a scholar of French literature, including perspectives on his father, Shintaro Suzuki.
biographyliterary history
Bibliography
- The Literature of Sartre (Kinokuniya Shinsho), 1963
- The Thought of Engagement (Shobunsha), 1969
- Political Violence and Imagination (Gendai Hyoronsha), 1970
- Studies on Proust (Chikuma Shobo), 1985
- Seasons of a Foreign Land (Misuzu Shobo), 1986
- Reading Proust (Shueisha Shinsho), 2002
- In Search of Lost Time (abridged translation, Shueisha), 1992
- In Search of Lost Time (complete translation, Shueisha, 13 vols), 1996–2001
- The Birth of Proust: New Essays on Proust (Fujiwara Shoten), 2013
- The Birth of a French Literature Scholar: Journey to Mallarmé (Chikuma Shobo), 2014
- Voices in the Margins: Literature, Sartre, Zainichi (Lectures), 2018
- My 1968 (Urugashya), 2018
Translations by Author
- The Wretched of the Earth (Frantz Fanon, co-translation, Misuzu Shobo), 1969/1996/2015 editions
- Proust (World Literature series, Chuokoronsha), 1966
- L'Idiot de la famille (Jean-Paul Sartre, complete 5 vols, co-translation/supervision, Jinbun Shoin), 1982–2021
- In Search of Lost Time (abridged and complete translations, Shueisha), 1992, 1996–2001
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Clear scholarly proseFidelity to the source in translationEmphasis on commentary and annotation
- Recurring Motifs
- memorytimeborder-crossingsocial responsibilitycolonial issues
Health
-
chronic heart failure晩年（〜2024年）Died in November 2024 of chronic heart failure; the condition likely affected his activities in his final years.
Legacy
Known for completing a full Japanese translation of Proust and for long-standing contributions to French literary scholarship, Suzuki left a major mark on Proust studies and translation culture in Japan. He was also recognized as a progressive cultural figure active in social and political discourse.
In Popular Culture
- In the 1968 Kin Kiroo incident he participated as a cultural figure, becoming part of a public controversy.
Trivia
- His father was Shintaro Suzuki, also a scholar of French literature.
- He was one of the few individuals who completed a personal translation of Proust, following Inoue Kyuichiro.
- He was involved as a member of the special defense group in the 1968 Kin Kiroo incident, known for his civic and cultural engagement beyond writing.