Japanese Literary Awards

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Seki Hideo

せき ひでお

Seki Hideo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1912-01-24 （Nagoya, Aichi, Japan）
Died
1996-04-12 age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nagoya, Aichi → Itako, Ibaraki → Okogoya Mine area, Ishikawa

Career

Occupations
Children's literature author
Active Years
1942-1996
Affiliations
Yomiuri Shimbun, Miyakoshinbun (To Shimbun), Teikoku Kyoiku-kai Publishing Department, Japan Little Citizens' Culture Association, Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers (founder; served as director/chair/president)
Memberships
Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers, Japanese Society for Children's Literature
Influenced By
Ogawa Mimei, Chiba Shozo, Tsubota Joji

Education

Rissho Commercial School
Country: Japan
Graduated while working

Awards

Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers Award
1972
Work: A Small Heart's Journey
Organization: Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1972
Work: A Small Heart's Journey
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Akai Tori (Red Bird) Literary Award
1972
Work: A Small Heart's Journey / Record of the White Butterfly
Organization: Akai Tori Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japanese Society for Children's Literature Award
1984
Work: Experiential History of Children's Literature
Organization: Japanese Society for Children's Literature
Result: 受賞
Iwaya Sazanami Literary Prize
1985
Organization: Iwaya Sazanami Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dog of the Northern Country

1942 Children's literature

Debut work; a children's story published during the wartime period.

animalsnaturecoming of age

A Small Heart's Journey

1971 Children's literature

A collection of short pieces about inner growth and emotional experience. Winner of the Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers Award and other prizes.

growthinner lifefriendship

Record of the White Butterfly

1971 Children's literature

A children's story that, along with 'A Small Heart's Journey', was a recipient of the Akai Tori Literary Award.

losshopenature

Experiential History of Children's Literature

1984 Children's literature studies

A critical work on the history of children's literature drawing on personal experience. Winner of the Japanese Society for Children's Literature Award.

history of children's literaturecriticism

The Fox's Chocolate

1948 Children's picture book

A fairy-tale-like work for children.

animalshumor

Bibliography

  • Dog of the Northern Country (1942)
  • Promise of the Swallow (1943)
  • Boy of the Lake (1947)
  • To the World of Stars (1948)
  • The Fox's Chocolate (1948)
  • Mischievous Boy (1948)
  • The Old Man's True Tale (1949)
  • Livingstone (1952)
  • The Crow's Postman (1954)
  • On Children's Literature (1955)
  • A Small Heart's Journey (1971)
  • Record of the White Butterfly (1971)
  • Experiential History of Children's Literature (1984)
  • White Cat Bell's Black Tuesday (1988)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gentle narrative voice for childrencontains allegorical and didactic elementsoften draws on personal experience
Recurring Motifs
animalsnature imageryemotional/psychological growth

Legacy

One of the leading postwar Japanese children's authors. He was instrumental in founding and leading the Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers and contributed to the promotion and study of children's literature for decades.

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Association of Children's Literature Writers
  • Japanese Society for Children's Literature

Trivia

  • His father was an electrical engineer; as a child he moved frequently due to his father's transfers.
  • His son is the intellectual historian Seki Koyo.