Japanese Literary Awards

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Kiwao Nomura

のむら きわお

Nomura Kiwao

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1951-10-20 （Iruma, Saitama, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French

Career

Occupations
poet, literary critic, actor, translator, adjunct lecturer
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Rikutei (literary group), Japan PEN Club
Memberships
Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
French contemporary thought (Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari)

Education

Saitama Prefectural Kawagoe High School
Country: Japan
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters, First Department
Faculty of Letters (First Department) / Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Meiji University Graduate School
Department of French Literature (Doctoral program)
Country: Japan
Left doctoral program (did not complete PhD)

Awards

Rikutei Newcomer Award
1993
Work: Under a Sun Without Characteristics
Organization: Rikutei
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize
2000
Work: Distribution of the Wind
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize
2003
Work: New Inspiration
Organization: Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Nobuo Ayukawa Prize
2012
Work: Hagiwara Sakutaro / Movement, Rhythm and Vertigo
Organization: Nobuo Ayukawa Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rikutei Prize
2012
Work: Nude Days / Difficult Bicycle / Spectacle & Pigsty (English translation)
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rikutei Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Best Translated Book Award (Poetry)
2012
Work: Spectacle & Pigsty (Selected Poems of Kiwao Nomura, English translation)
Organization: Best Translated Book Award (USA)
Result: 受賞
Modern Poet Prize
2020
Work: Twilight Saudade
Organization: Modern Poet Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Under a Sun Without Characteristics

1993 poetry

An early poetry collection combining experimental language use with contemporary poetic theory.

modern poetryexperimentalismlanguage

Distribution of the Wind

1999 poetry

A mid-career poetry collection emphasizing metaphor and rhythm. Winner of the Takami Jun Prize.

rhythmmetaphorthe body

New Inspiration

2003 poetry

A work where linguistic experimentation and critical perspective merge. Winner of the Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize.

linguistic experimentationcritiqueurbanity

Spectacle & Pigsty: Selected Poems of Kiwao Nomura

2011 selected poems (English translation)

An English-selected poems volume presenting key works translated for international readers.

translationinternational reception

Bibliography

  • Kawa Nae (1987)
  • My Resort (1989)
  • Repetitive Wandering (1992)
  • Under a Sun Without Characteristics (1993)
  • Distribution of the Wind (1999)
  • New Inspiration (2003)
  • Nude Days (2011)
  • Difficult Bicycle (2012)
  • Twilight Saudade (2019)
  • Coronet Diary (2020)

Adaptations

  • Ukigumo (appeared in film, 2008)
  • E no nai Yume (appeared in film, 2011)

Translations by Author

  • Paul Verlaine (co-translator, 1988)
  • Selected Poems of Verlaine (editor/translator, 1995)
  • Anthology of Contemporary French Poetry (co-translator, 2001)

Translations of Works

  • Spectacle & Pigsty (English translation, 2011)
  • THE DAY LAID BARE (English translation, 2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
experimental, avant-garde poetrya style incorporating theoretical critical perspectives
Recurring Motifs
movementrhythmvertigourban imagerythe body

Legacy

A poet and critic highly regarded for combining experimental language and critical thought in contemporary poetry. Recognized both domestically and internationally through translations, and influential through activities linking poetry and dance (El-Sur Foundation).

Trivia

  • In 2011 he established the El-Sur Foundation with his wife, Mariko Nomura, and runs the El-Sur Foundation Newcomer Prize.
  • He worked as a French teacher until around the age of 50.
  • He has appeared as an actor in films such as Ukigumo (2008) and E no nai Yume (2011).