Japanese Literary Awards

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Toru Shimizu

しみず とおる

Shimizu Tooru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-03-31 （Tokyo Prefecture (now Tokyo), Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French

Career

Occupations
French literature scholar, Translator, University professor
Active Years
1954-
Affiliations
University of Tokyo (assistant), Kokugakuin University (associate professor), Meiji Gakuin University (professor, professor emeritus)
Influenced By
Ken'ichi Yoshida

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1950-1954
Year of Graduation: 1954
Country: Japan
Graduate School, University of Tokyo
Graduate School (Graduate School of Letters) / French Literature
Degree: 修士
Period: 1954-1956
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Japan
Completed master's program

Awards

Claudel Prize
1967
Work: Jikanwari (translation of Michel Butor)
Organization: Unknown
Result: Winner
BABEL International Translation Prize (Japanese Translation Award - Literature)
1991
Work: The Invention of Morel (translation of Adolfo Bioy Casares)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: BABEL editorial board
Result: Winner
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
2001
Work: On Books: Its Hypological and Metaphysical Aspects
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize
2002
Work: On Books: Its Hypological and Metaphysical Aspects
Category: 評論
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: Winner
Arts Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
2002
Work: On Books: Its Hypological and Metaphysical Aspects
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

On Ruins

1971 Essays/Critical

A collection of essays on cities, memory, and ruined spaces.

citymemoryruins

The Utopia of Reading

1977 Essays/Critical

Essays exploring the ideal of reading and the nature of books.

readingbibliography

Anatomy of the City — Walking and Reading the City

1981 Urban studies/Essays

A study of cities from the perspective of walking and reading urban space.

citywalkingurban culture

On Books: Its Hypological and Metaphysical Aspects

2001 Book studies/Critical

A major work examining books from hypological and metaphysical perspectives; recipient of Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize, Yomiuri Literary Prize, and the Arts Encouragement Prize.

book theorymetaphysicscultural criticism

Ken'ichi Yoshida's Time: The Elegance of Twilight

2003 Biography/Critical

Research and criticism on Ken'ichi Yoshida, reflecting Shimizu's work on Yoshida's commentaries and editorial projects.

biographyliterary criticism

Portrait of Valéry

2004 Critical/Essay

Essays evaluating and portraying Paul Valéry.

poeticsintellect and sensibility

Bibliography

  • On Ruins (1971)
  • The Utopia of Reading (1977)
  • Anatomy of the City (1981)
  • The City as Book, The Book as City (1982)
  • Mirror and Eros — Contemporary Literary Criticism (1984)
  • The Dream of Books, Books of Dreams (1984)
  • On Books: Its Hypological and Metaphysical Aspects (2001)
  • Ken'ichi Yoshida's Time: The Elegance of Twilight (2003)
  • Portrait of Valéry (2004)
  • Valéry — The Conflict of Intellect and Sensibility (2010)
  • Mallarmé's 'Book' (2011)

Adaptations

  • The Lover (Duras translation) film adaptation (1992)

Translations by Author

  • The Myth of Sisyphus (translation of Albert Camus)
  • The Lover (translation of Marguerite Duras)
  • The Invention of Morel (translation of Adolfo Bioy Casares)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
criticallogical yet essayisticbibliographical and urban-study oriented
Recurring Motifs
citybooksmemorytranslation

Health

  • Depressed skull fracture (serious head injury)
    1960
    Injured by police batons during the 1960 Anpo protests; suffered a serious skull injury that made news.

Legacy

Through scholarship on French literature and numerous translations, he has had a major impact on Japanese literary studies and translation; his work on book theory and urban studies is highly regarded and has earned several major awards.

Academic Societies

  • Meiji Gakuin University Faculty of Letters (Professor Emeritus)

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holds works and translations)

In Popular Culture

  • His translation of Marguerite Duras' The Lover gained wider public attention following the film adaptation (1992).

Trivia

  • He suffered a serious head injury inflicted by riot police during the 1960 Anpo protests.
  • His translation of Marguerite Duras' The Lover was adapted into a film (1992) and the paperback edition became a bestseller.
  • He has been involved in translating and editing many major French literary works.