Japanese Literary Awards

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Ryuji Morita

もりた りゅうじ

Morita Ryuji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-12-23 （Meguro, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Meguro, Tokyo, Japan → Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan (studied/associated)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Editor, Visiting Professor, Instructor
Active Years
1971-
Affiliations
Pia Corporation (Editor, Editorial roles), Waseda University, Faculty of Letters (Visiting Professor, 2007–2009), Shukutoku University Extension Center (Instructor), Japan Writers' Association (Member), Japan PEN Club (Member)
Memberships
Japan Writers' Association, Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
Takuro Yoshida, Charles Bukowski, Steve Erickson
Nominations
12th Noma Literary Newcomer Award — Nominated (1990), 5th Mishima Yukio Prize — Nominated (1992)

Education

Saitama Prefectural Kawagoe High School
Country: Japan
Won first prize in an Obunsha short story contest while a student (short story "Nukaboshi").
Meiji University
School of Political Science and Economics / Department of Political Science
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Department of Political Science.
Nihon Bungaku Gakkō (Japan School of Literature)
Period: 1975-1977
Country: Japan
Studied creative writing during this period.

Awards

Waseda Bungaku Newcomer Prize
1985
Work: A Dream Longer Than Night
Organization: Waseda Bungaku (Waseda Literature)
Result: 佳作入選
Noma Literary Newcomer Award
1990
Work: Street Children
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 候補
Mishima Yukio Prize
1992
Work: Saudade
Organization: Mishima Yukio Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Twitter Literature Award
2011
Work: Futari Shizuka
Organization: Twitter Literature Award (domestic category)
Result: 国内編第1位（受賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Street Children

1990 Novel

Debut novel depicting the loneliness of youth, street life, and social marginalization.

YouthSocial isolationUrban life

Saudade

1992 Novel

A novel centered on loss and nostalgia and the emotions tied to the past.

NostalgiaLossLove

Last Waltz

1993 Novel

A work that carefully portrays the subtleties of human relationships.

Human relationshipsRenewal

Wangan Rhapsody

1999 Novel

Explores urban landscapes and personal solitude; later republished under another title.

City lifeLoneliness
Adaptations
  • [Film/Video] Erotic Novel: Pornographia (original story) / 金田敬 (2014)
Translations
  • Night's End (Taiwan edition)

Futari Shizuka

2010 Novel

A collection themed on solitude and renewal. Won first place in the domestic category of the Twitter Literature Award.

SolitudeFamilyRenewal

Father, Long Goodbye: A Man's Caregiving Journal

2016 Non-fiction (Caregiving memoir)

A nonfiction account of ten years caring for a father with dementia. Widely read as a caregiving memoir.

CaregivingFamilyDementia
Translations
  • Father Long Goodbye (Korean edition)
  • Father: A Son's Caregiving Diary (Chinese edition)

Honey and Spit

2016 Novel

Includes short and mid-length pieces that probe the darker aspects of life and relationships.

RelationshipsDesireLoneliness

High Heels in the Ruins

2017 Novel

A novel weaving family history and postwar fragments; received critical praise.

Family historyPostwarMemory

Bibliography

  • Street Children
  • Saudade
  • Last Waltz
  • You Don't Go on Friday
  • Someday I Will Write a Book
  • Hunting Season in Japan 2008
  • Wangan Rhapsody
  • Reset
  • Delicious Water
  • Fall. Out
  • You're the Most Important
  • Fruits of Shinjuku
  • Ordinary Magic
  • Fortunate Days (retitled: The Beginning of a Small Eternity)
  • Futari Shizuka
  • Body and Heart (theme anthology)
  • Because It's Tough For You, You're Not Giving Up Yet
  • Les fruits de Shinjuku (French edition)
  • The Fountain Always Springs
  • Today Is the Youngest Day of the Rest of Your Life
  • Father, Long Goodbye: A Man's Caregiving Journal
  • Honey and Spit
  • High Heels in the Ruins

Adaptations

  • 'Erotic Novel: Pornographia' (Toei Video, 2014) — based on a story by Ryuji Morita (published in Weekly Post)

Translations of Works

  • Fruits of Shinjuku — English edition (translator: Giles Murray)
  • Les fruits de Shinjuku (French edition)
  • Night's End (Taiwan edition, translation of Wangan Rhapsody)
  • Father Long Goodbye (Korean edition)
  • Father: A Son's Caregiving Diary (Chinese edition)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic depictionLyrical yet detailed character portrayalIncorporation of social themes
Recurring Motifs
FamilyLonelinessShinjuku / Urban lifeCaregivingYouth

Health

  • Depression
    2000年代〜（断続）
    Experienced depression related to work stress, which affected writing and daily life; improved with treatment and adjustments and continued to write.

Legacy

Regarded as a contemporary Japanese writer who sensitively depicts city life and family. With a background as an editor he produced a wide range of fiction and essays, engaged in criticism and teaching, served on selection committees, and reached a broad readership.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Writers' Association
  • Japan PEN Club

Archives

  • Morita Ryuji Archives (official website)

In Popular Culture

  • Frequent guest on NHK's 'Weekly Book Review' and other programs
  • Film/video adaptation of a story (2014 'Pornographia')
  • Notable for his presence on Twitter and for public political statements that attracted attention

Trivia

  • As a high school student he won first prize in an Obunsha short story contest with "Nukaboshi", which launched his writing career.
  • Worked as an editor at Pia for 18 years and left in 1996 to become a full-time writer.
  • 'Yoru no Hate made' (Night's End) sold approximately 300,000 copies in its Kadokawa paperback edition.
  • Won first place in the domestic category of the inaugural Twitter Literature Award for 'Futari Shizuka' in 2010s.
  • His 2016 book 'Father, Long Goodbye' about caregiving for his father with dementia was widely read and translated into Korean and Chinese, among other languages.
  • Has publicly stated that he is a fan of singer Takuro Yoshida.