Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (1988) award
Kazumasa Nagai
ながい かずまさ
Nagai Kazumasa
Pen Names:
Kazumasa Nagai（Pen name used for publishing fiction (same as legal name)）,
Minamikaze（Pseudonym used for short story collections and essays）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1985-04-12 （Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, screenwriter, essayist
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Influenced By
- Yasunari Kawabata, Haruki Murakami, Shusaku Endo
- Influenced
- a generation of younger writers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences | Department of Japanese Literature | Bachelor of Arts | 2004-2008 | Japan |
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Period:
2004-2008
Year of Graduation:
2008
Country:
Japan
Published short stories in literary magazines while enrolled
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Akutagawa Prize | Memory of the Sea | — | The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature | winner |
| 2017 | Mishima Yukio Prize (nominee) | A Quiet Town | — | Mishima Literary Foundation | shortlisted |
Akutagawa Prize
2019
Work:
Memory of the Sea
Organization:
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature
Result:
winner
Mishima Yukio Prize (nominee)
2017
Work:
A Quiet Town
Organization:
Mishima Literary Foundation
Result:
shortlisted
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Memory of the Sea
2018 novel 312 pagesA lyrical novel tracing childhood memories by the sea, revealing family secrets and loss. Through an interwoven present and past narrative, it explores personal memory and communal history.
memorylossfamilythe sea
Adaptations
- [film] Memory of the Sea / 鈴木健太 (2021)
Translations
- English translation: Memory of the Sea (2020)
A Quiet Town
2016 short story collection 176 pagesA collection of short stories set in a small provincial town, depicting loneliness and subtle human relationships hidden in everyday events.
nostalgiaeveryday lifeloneliness
Bibliography
- Memory of the Sea (2018)
- A Quiet Town (2016)
- Night Traveler (2014)
- Landscapes and Letters (2012)
Adaptations
- Memory of the Sea (film, 2021)
Translations of Works
- Memory of the Sea — English translation (2020)
- A Quiet Town — selected translations into English (2019)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical prosenonlinear temporalitytranquil tone
- Recurring Motifs
- sea and waveslettersold photographs
Legacy
Praised for lyrical blending of personal memory and regional history, influencing younger writers. Translations have increased his international profile, marking him as a notable contemporary Japanese author.
Academic Societies
- Society for Modern Japanese Literature
In Popular Culture
- The film adaptation of 'Memory of the Sea' generated modest attention and revived sales of the novel
Quotes
-
Memory does not simply vanish; like the sea it remains, changing its shape.
Source: Memory of the Sea (2018), author's afterword (2018)
Trivia
- Wrote poetry in a university literary circle
- Loves the sea and visits coastal towns annually for research