Japanese Literary Awards

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Philip Roth

フィリップ・ロス

Firippu Rosu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-03-19 （Newark, New Jersey, United States）
Died
2018-05-22 （Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States） age 85
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Jewish (heritage)
Residence History
Newark, New Jersey → Chicago, Illinois → Manhattan, New York City

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, University professor
Active Years
1959-2012
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Influenced By
Saul Bellow, Writers of 20th-century American literature

Education

Rutgers University
Country: United States
Attended (details not specified)
Bucknell University
English
Country: United States
Undergraduate studies (details not specified)
University of Chicago
Creative writing (taught there)
Period: 1955-1957（教員）
Country: United States
Taught creative writing from 1955 to 1957

Awards

National Book Award
1960
Work: Goodbye, Columbus
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Winner
National Book Award
1995
Work: Sabbath's Theater
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1998
Work: American Pastoral
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: Winner
PEN/Faulkner Award
1994
Organization: PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result: Winner
PEN/Faulkner Award
2001
Organization: PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result: Winner
PEN/Faulkner Award
2007
Organization: PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result: Winner
Franz Kafka Prize
2001
Organization: Franz Kafka Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Prix Médicis (Étranger)
2002
Category: Foreign novel
Organization: Prix Médicis Committee
Result: Winner
Sidewise Award
2004
Work: The Plot Against America
Organization: Sidewise Award
Result: Winner
Die Welt Literature Prize
2009
Organization: Die Welt
Result: Winner
Man Booker International Prize
2011
Organization: The Booker Prize Foundation
Result: Winner
Prince of Asturias Award (Literature)
2012
Category: Literature
Organization: Prince of Asturias Foundation
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Goodbye, Columbus

1959 Short stories / Fiction

A collection of stories about Jewish-American life and young people; Roth's debut collection exploring class and identity in America.

Jewish identityClassFamily relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] Goodbye, Columbus / Larry Peerce (1969)
Translations
  • Goodbye, Columbus (Japanese translation)

Portnoy's Complaint

1969 Novel

A controversial novel featuring a Jewish protagonist's confessional monologue about sex, desire, and family conflict.

Sex and desireIdentityFamily
Adaptations
  • [Film] Portnoy's Complaint / Ernest Lehman (1972)
Translations
  • Portnoy's Complaint (Japanese translation)

American Pastoral

1997 Novel

A sweeping novel about a family's rise and fall set against the social upheavals of America.

American historyFamily breakdownPolitical upheaval
Adaptations
  • [Film] American Pastoral / Ewan McGregor / (film dir. Philip Noyce credited for film adaptation) (2016)
Translations
  • American Pastoral (Japanese translation information available)

The Human Stain

2000 Novel

A novel exploring racial passing, personal secrets, and the consequences of social prejudice.

RaceHidden pastsSocial prejudice
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Human Stain / Robert Benton (2003)
Translations
  • The Human Stain (Japanese translation)

The Plot Against America

2004 Alternative history / Novel

An alternate-history novel imagining fascistic pressures in America; winner of the Sidewise Award.

Reconstructed historyPolitical fearFates of Jewish people
Adaptations
  • [TV miniseries] The Plot Against America
Translations
  • The Plot Against America (Japanese translation)

Bibliography

  • Goodbye, Columbus
  • Portnoy's Complaint
  • The Counterlife
  • Patrimony
  • American Pastoral
  • The Human Stain
  • The Plot Against America

Adaptations

  • Goodbye, Columbus (1969 film)
  • Portnoy's Complaint (1972 film)
  • The Human Stain (2003 film)
  • Elegy (film adaptation of The Dying Animal, 2008)
  • American Pastoral (2016 film)

Translations of Works

  • Many works translated into Japanese (published by Shueisha and others)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Introspective and frank first-person narrationUse of humor and ironyLarge-scale narratives incorporating social history
Recurring Motifs
Jewish identitySexuality and guiltReconstruction of American society

Health

  • Congestive heart failure
    2018-05
    Died of congestive heart failure in May 2018

Legacy

Considered one of the leading novelists of contemporary American literature; winner of multiple major literary prizes and highly regarded for works addressing Jewish identity and American society.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Letters

Archives

  • The Philip Roth Society (research organization and archive reference)

In Popular Culture

  • Many works adapted to film and television, increasing public recognition

Trivia

  • Was married for a time to actress Claire Bloom (they later divorced)
  • Frequently treated Jewish heritage as a central theme in his work
  • Reduced public appearances and publications in later years and moved toward retirement in the 2010s