All Yomimono Newcomer Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 84 (2004) award
Toshiya Nagata
ながた としや
Nagata Toshiya
Aliases:
T. Nagata
Pen Names:
Shun Nagata（Pen name used for early short stories）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1980-06-21 （Nakano, Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Nakano, Tokyo (birth–2005) → Kamakura, Kanagawa (2015–present)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Editor
- Active Years
- 2005-2025
- Influenced By
- Osamu Dazai, Banana Yoshimoto
- Influenced
- Aoi Sato (young novelist)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | 学士（文学） | 2000-2004 | Japan |
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
学士（文学）
Period:
2000-2004
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
Japan
Began writing for literary circles while at university
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Tsubame Literary Prize | In the Town Overlooking the Sea | 短篇部門 | Tsubame Literary Prize Selection Committee | Winner |
| 2019 | Urban Literature Award | Library of Stardust | 長編部門 | Urban Literature Award Committee | Shortlisted |
Tsubame Literary Prize
2012
Work:
In the Town Overlooking the Sea
Category:
短篇部門
Organization:
Tsubame Literary Prize Selection Committee
Result:
Winner
Urban Literature Award
2019
Work:
Library of Stardust
Category:
長編部門
Organization:
Urban Literature Award Committee
Result:
Shortlisted
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
In the Town Overlooking the Sea
2010 Short story collection 220 pagesA short story collection set in a small coastal town that delicately portrays loss and renewal. Fragmented stories of characters from different generations gradually connect into a larger narrative.
lossregenerationfamily
Adaptations
- [Film] In the Town Overlooking the Sea / 佐藤 健一 (2013)
Translations
- English translation: In the Town Overlooking the Sea (trans. Sarah Ito, 2015)
Library of Stardust
2014 Novel 368 pagesA novel tracing a journey through lost time and the memories of people gathered in a library. Past and present overlap, prompting readers to consider the fragility and recovery of memory.
memorytimecommunity
Adaptations
- [TV Drama] Library of Stardust / 中村 雅也 (2018)
Translations
- English translation: Library of Stardust (trans. Emily Nakamura, 2020)
The Distance by the Window
2018 Novella 148 pagesA novella that, from the perspective of a solitary urban resident, depicts subtle distortions in daily life and loneliness. The theme is the distance between people seen through a window.
lonelinesseveryday lifesense of distance
Translations
- French translation: La Distance au Bord de la Fenêtre (trans. Marie Tanaka, 2021)
Bibliography
- In the Town Overlooking the Sea (short story collection, 2010)
- Library of Stardust (novel, 2014)
- The Distance by the Window (novella, 2018)
- Notes of the Night (short stories, 2007)
- Scenes of Lamp Light (essays, 2021)
Adaptations
- Film: In the Town Overlooking the Sea (2013, dir. Kenichi Sato)
- TV Drama: Library of Stardust (2018, dir. Masaya Nakamura)
Translations of Works
- In the Town Overlooking the Sea — English translation (Sarah Ito, 2015)
- Library of Stardust — English translation (Emily Nakamura, 2020)
- The Distance by the Window — French translation (Marie Tanaka, 2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- quiet, restrained prosescenic descriptions that incorporate natureemphasis on contrast between dialogue and silence
- Recurring Motifs
- sealibrarywindows
Legacy
Known for carefully描写ing subtle urban scenes and fragments of memory, he is regarded as one of the representatives of 21st-century Japanese urban literature. Film and TV adaptations have broadened his recognition among general audiences.
Museums
- Toshiya Nagata Memorial Room (Kamakura City Library) Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan Opened in 2023
Academic Societies
- The Japanese Society for Contemporary Literature
Archives
- Toshiya Nagata Collection (held at Kamakura City Library)
In Popular Culture
- Gained wider recognition after the 2013 film adaptation; some original short stories have been included in school reading lists
Quotes
-
A novel is a machine to live in someone else's time.
Source: Essay: On Writing (2014) -
The sea is a mirror reflecting memory.
Source: Interview: Asahi Shimbun (2018)
Trivia
- Always drinks black coffee while writing
- Prefers jazz and often plays vinyl records during the writing process
- Has a habit of spending an hour in the library reading materials before writing