Gunzo Newcomer Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 40 (1997) award
Yoshihisa Okazaki
おかざき よしひさ
Okazaki Yoshihisa
Pen Names:
Okazaki Yoshihisa（Used as byline for some works (e.g. the 2020 book credited as Okazaki Yoshihisa)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1968-08-17 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Writer
- Active Years
- 1997-
- Nominations
- 1998 - 20th Noma Literary Newcomer Award nominee ("Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second"), 2000 - 123rd Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Rakuten-ya"), 2002 - 126th Akutagawa Prize nominee ("The Road to the South"), 2008 - 139th Akutagawa Prize nominee ("ct's Deep River Town")
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters | Second Faculty of Letters | — | — | — | Japan |
Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters
Second Faculty of Letters
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Gunzo New Writers' Award (40th) | Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second | — | Gunzo (Kodansha) | Winner |
| 2000 | Noma Literary Newcomer Award (22nd) | Rakuten-ya | — | Noma Cultural Foundation | Winner |
Gunzo New Writers' Award (40th)
1997
Work:
Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second
Organization:
Gunzo (Kodansha)
Result:
Winner
Noma Literary Newcomer Award (22nd)
2000
Work:
Rakuten-ya
Organization:
Noma Cultural Foundation
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Noma Literary Newcomer Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2000) award
Works
Major Works
Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second
1997 Short storyA short story depicting the daily life and loneliness of young people. Published in Gunzo in 1997 and awarded the Gunzo New Writers' Award as Okazaki's debut.
LonelinessYouthUrban lifeWork/labor
Bambino
2000 Novel (original work)An original novel published in 2000. A long-form work exploring youth and margins of society.
YouthComing of ageSocial margins
Rakuten-ya
2000 Short story collectionA collection of short stories, mostly previously published in Gunzo. Contains socially aware stories focusing on youth and labor.
Work/laborUrban settingsLoneliness
The Road to the South
2002 Short story collectionA collection of novellas and short stories that sensitively depict movement, places and characters' inner lives.
Movement/journeyInner lifeSuburbs/rural areas
Kubinari-hime
2002 NovelA novel published in 2002. Features elements of the fantastic interwoven with contemporary themes.
Fantastical elementsContemporary societyIndividual alienation
Yesterday in This World
2004 Novel (serialized)A serialized novel that explores everyday life, memory, and slices of society.
MemoryEveryday lifeSociety
ct's Deep River Town
2008 Novella/Short storyPublished after appearing in Gunzo in 2008. Examines the relationship between place and individual through distinctive locales and landscapes.
Sense of placeMemoryLocality
A Thousand-Year Fox
2009 Retellings / Short story collectionA collection of retellings drawing on Japanese folklore and traditional tales, notable for animal and folk motifs.
FolkloreAnimalsRetelling
Phantasmagoria
2014 Short story collectionA short story collection including works from Gunzo. Characterized by the interplay of the fantastical and the everyday.
Fantastical elementsEveryday lifeBoundaries
Posy and Popper: The Two Detectives — A Challenge from the Demon World
2020 Children's / Original workAn original children's detective story published under the pen name Okazaki Yoshihisa.
DetectiveAdventureFriendship
Bibliography
- Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second (1997, Kodansha)
- Bambino (2000, Rironsha)
- Rakuten-ya (2000, Kodansha)
- The Road to the South (2002, Kodansha)
- Kubinari-hime (2002, Kodansha)
- Yesterday in This World (2004, Bungeishunju)
- Self-Study Magic Notebook (2005, Rironsha)
- ct's Deep River Town (2008, Kodansha)
- Literary Journal (2008, Soshibooks)
- A Thousand-Year Fox (2009, Rironsha)
- Phantasmagoria (2014, Kodansha)
- Posy and Popper: The Two Detectives — A Challenge from the Demon World (2020, Rironsha)
- Many uncollected short and mid-length pieces — e.g. Nijiiro no Sekai (2001, Bungakukai), Hypermetropia (2001, Subaru), Amakute Angu de Fuseijitsu (2001, Shincho), etc.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Often categorized in the 'new proletarian' literary currentA contemporary, understated style sometimes described as 'slack freeter' fictionA blend of fantastical elements and realism
- Recurring Motifs
- LonelinessWork / freeter lifestylesUrban and suburban landscapesAnimal and folkloric motifs (e.g., foxes)
Legacy
Known for a perspective aligned with proletarian themes and depictions of youth from the late 1990s into the 2000s. Recognized with awards such as the Gunzo New Writers' Award and the Noma Literary Newcomer Award.
In Popular Culture
- Classified in the 'slack freeter' zone in the Bungei special issue '90s J-Literature Map'
Trivia
- Debuted in 1997 after winning the 40th Gunzo New Writers' Award for 'Wintering at Ten Centimeters per Second'.
- Won the 22nd Noma Literary Newcomer Award in 2000 for 'Rakuten-ya'.
- Has been a nominee for the Akutagawa Prize (123rd, 126th, 139th rounds).
- Graduated from Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters.
- Reportedly has no prior full-time employment experience, a fact noted in descriptions of his background.
- Operates an X (formerly Twitter) account under the handle @oiia_oaai.