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Kanosuke Oka

おか かのすけ

Oka Kanosuke

Pen Names: Kanosuke Kano（Used in early works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-05-10 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1975-
Memberships
Japan Writers' Association
Influenced By
Yasunari Kawabata, Natsume Sōseki
Influenced
Hanako Yamamoto

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1968-1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: Japan

Awards

Akutagawa Prize
1985
Work: Winter Light
Organization: Bungeishunju Ltd.
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Winter Light

1984 Literary Fiction 250 pages

A winter tale depicting the psyche of a lonely young man.

LonelinessRebirth
Adaptations
  • [Film] Winter Light / 山田太郎 (1986)

Voice of the Wind

1987 Novel 180 pages

A story revolving around the wind encountered in a strange land.

FreedomJourney

Garden of Rain

1991 Poetry 90 pages

A poetry collection themed on rain.

RainNature

Bibliography

  • Winter Light
  • Voice of the Wind
  • Garden of Rain
  • Garden of Words

Adaptations

  • Winter Light (Film)
  • Voice of the Wind (Radio Drama)

Translations of Works

  • Winter Light (English Edition)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
LyricIntrospective
Recurring Motifs
SnowNature

Health

  • Depression
    1990-1992
    Affected his creative work

Legacy

He brought a new style to Japanese literature.

Museums

  • Oka Kanosuke Memorial Literature Museum Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan Opened in 2005

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Literature Society

Archives

  • National Diet Library

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of his novel

Quotes

  • Literature is the mirror of the soul.
    Source: Essay 'Garden of Words' (1990)

Trivia

  • His pen name was taken from his grandfather's name.