Japanese Literary Awards

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Noboru So

そう のぼる

Sou Noboru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-09-05
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Ota, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
poet, teacher
Active Years
1950-

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters / Department of English
Period: 1949-1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: Japan

Awards

Japan Poets Club Prize
1991
Work: Kunizakai no Uta
Organization: Japan Poets Club
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tamafuri no Uta

1963 poetry

A poetry collection that includes poems mourning his wife. One of his early notable works, with commentary by Koichi Kihara.

lossgriefmemory

Kunizakai no Uta

1990 poetry

A poetry collection themed around borders and boundaries. It won the 24th Japan Poets Club Prize in 1991.

bordershomelandhistory

Fukei Okuri Uta

2001 poetry

A collection of poems dealing with landscapes and recollections.

landscapememory

Kioku no Minawa

2007 poetry

Contains works themed on the discovery of items belonging to his missing wife in the mountains decades after her disappearance; revisits memory across half a century.

memoryreconnectionloss

Toge

2013 poetry

A later poetry collection portraying life’s passes and turning points in poetic form.

life milestonesnature

Bibliography

  • Tamafuri no Uta
  • Kunizakai no Uta
  • Fukei Okuri Uta
  • Kioku no Minawa
  • Toge

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyricpersonal poetryreflective narrativity
Recurring Motifs
lossmemoryhomelandborders

Legacy

A postwar Japanese poet known for works centered on personal loss, memory, and themes of borders and homeland. Recognized with the Japan Poets Club Prize in 1991.

Trivia

  • Born with the family name Suzuki; took the surname So after marriage.
  • In 1956 his wife, Masae, disappeared and is believed to have died by suicide; this influenced works such as Tamafuri no Uta and later Kioku no Minawa.
  • Tamafuri no Uta was a candidate for the 14th H-operator Prize in 1964.