Japanese Literary Awards

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Yuri Nagura

なぐら ゆり

Nagura Yuri

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1982-12-06 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, Russian
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Saint Petersburg, Russia → Moscow, Russia

Career

Occupations
Russian literature scholar, Translator, University lecturer
Active Years
2008-
Affiliations
Kanto Gakuin University, The University of Tokyo (lecturer/adjunct), University of the Sacred Heart, Waseda University
Influenced By
Alexander Blok, Vladimir Nabokov, Mikhail Shishkin

Education

Language school (Saint Petersburg)
Period: 2002
Year of Graduation: 2002
Country: Russia
Studied Russian in a language program in Saint Petersburg
Maxim Gorky Literature Institute (Russia)
Literature
Degree: 文学従事者
Period: 2002-2008
Year of Graduation: 2008
Country: Russia
Graduated as the first Japanese student of the institute, awarded a 'Literary Practitioner' degree
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo (Faculty of Letters)
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Department of Literature (Master's)
Degree: 修士（文学）
Period: 2009-2011
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: Japan
Completed master's under the supervision of Mitsuyoshi Numano
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo (Faculty of Letters)
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Department of Literature (Doctoral)
Degree: 博士（文学）
Period: 2011-2020
Year of Graduation: 2020
Country: Japan
Received PhD with dissertation 'Alexander Blok: Criticism and Poetics — From Self-Immolation to the World on Fire'

Awards

The University of Tokyo Jiritsu Prize (2nd)
2021
Work: Alexander Blok: Poetics and Life
Category: 学術成果刊行助成
Organization: The University of Tokyo
Result: 受賞
Suntory Academic Award (44th)
2022
Work: Alexander Blok: Poetics and Life
Category: 芸術・文学部門
Organization: Suntory
Result: 受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize (32nd)
2022
Work: Singing of Dawn at Dusk: Going to Russia in Search of Literature
Category: 文学
Organization: Uji City (Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize)
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Award (76th)
2025
Work: The Deserter of Culture
Category: 随筆・紀行
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Living Books Award (2nd)
2025
Work: The Deserter of Culture
Category: 書籍賞
Organization: Miraiya Shoten (organizer)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Singing of Dawn at Dusk: Going to Russia in Search of Literature

2021 Travel writing / Essays

An essayistic travelogue exploring Russian poetry and literature across the country, reexamining cultural memory and the significance of literature through on-site experiences.

Russian literatureTravelPoetry and memory

Alexander Blok: Poetics and Life

2021 Scholarly monograph / Literary studies

A scholarly study that surveys Alexander Blok's criticism and poetics, reexamining his oeuvre and life from a poetics perspective.

Modern Russian poetryPoeticsLiterary criticism

Walking the Blank Map of Words: Between Translation and Magic

2023 Essays / Translation studies

A collection of essays on translation practice and linguistic experience, reflecting on the relationship between translation and creation and the workings of language.

Translation theoryLanguageCreativity

Classroom of Russian Literature

2024 Introduction / Literary guide

An introductory guide that explains major Russian authors and works clearly, offering readers a way to connect with the literature.

Literary introductionRussian authorsReading guide

The Deserter of Culture

2024 Essays / Cultural criticism

A collection of essays on the relationship between culture and the individual and intellectual practices that cross borders; offers critical perspectives on contemporary cultural conditions.

Cultural criticismCrossing bordersEssays

Bibliography

  • Singing of Dawn at Dusk: Going to Russia in Search of Literature
  • Alexander Blok: Poetics and Life
  • Walking the Blank Map of Words: Between Translation and Magic
  • Classroom of Russian Literature
  • The Deserter of Culture
  • The Labyrinth of Autobiography: Autobiographical Discourse in Modern Russian Culture (co-author)
  • Literary Siblings!! (co-author)

Translations by Author

  • Mikhail Shishkin — Letters (translation)
  • Boris Akunin — The Turk Throwaway Pawn Spy Case: Fandorin's Investigation Files (translation)
  • Lyudmila Ulitskaya — A Cheerful Funeral (translation)
  • Vladimir Nabokov — Machechenka / King, Queen, Knave (translation contribution)
  • Sasha Filipenko — The Unjust Game; The Red Cross (translations)
  • Svetlana Alexievich — Boys of Zinc: Testimonies of Afghanistan Veterans (expanded edition, translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A style that moves between lucid scholarly argumentation and essayistic narrationA keen linguistic sensitivity in translation
Recurring Motifs
Poetry and memoryLinguistic border-crossingThe relationship between Russian culture and the individual

Legacy

A noted scholar and translator in modern and contemporary Russian literature. Through her work on Alexander Blok and books introducing Russian literature, she has offered new perspectives to Russian literary studies in Japan.

In Popular Culture

  • Appearance on NicoNico Live 'Air Revolution' (2023)

Trivia

  • She was the first Japanese to graduate from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute (2008).
  • Her father is historian Tetsuzo Nagura; her younger brother is writer Toma Osaka.
  • She is active on X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @yurnaque (external link available).