Japanese Literary Awards

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Atsushi Shimomura

しもむら あつし

Shimomura Atsushi

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer
Active Years
2006-

Awards

Edogawa Rampo Prize
2014
Work: The Lie That Smells in the Dark
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Lie That Smells in the Dark

2014 Mystery 336 pages

Follows Kazuhisa Murakami, a former photographer who lost his sight, as he confronts doubts about the identity of his brother who returned to Japan as a remainderman from Manchuria. The novel intertwines mysterious Braille haiku, questions of identity and authenticity, and family conflicts against the backdrop of wartime and postwar memory, exploring themes of loss, reconciliation, and social aftermath.

familyidentity and authenticitypostwar history / remaindermen issueblindness / sightmemory and memory lossguilt and atonement

Bibliography

  • The Lie That Smells in the Dark (Kodansha, 2014)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed psychological descriptions that portray subtle inner movementsNarration that combines tranquility with tensionMystery-oriented structure combining narration with fragmentary clues
Recurring Motifs
sight and blindnesstextual motifs such as Braille and haikunostalgia and postwar memoryfamily estrangement and reconciliation

Legacy

Debuted with The Lie That Smells in the Dark and won the 60th Edogawa Rampo Prize. Having persisted through multiple submissions before winning, he drew attention as a promising newcomer praised by judges and critics. The book attracted both critical and popular attention, placing in year-end mystery rankings and expanding his readership.

Trivia

  • Applied to the Edogawa Rampo Prize every year from the 52nd (2006) and won on his 9th attempt with the 60th prize.
  • The original submission title was '無縁の常闇に嘘は香る' and was criticized by judges, leading to a retitled publication.
  • Ranked #2 in Weekly Bunshun's Mystery Best 10 and #3 in "Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!" year-end rankings.
  • Published by Kodansha on August 5, 2014. ISBN 978-4-06-219094-7.