Japanese Literary Awards

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Togo Shiomi

しおみ とうご

Shiomi Tōgo

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Screenwriter
Active Years
2005-
Influenced By
Haruki Murakami, Mieko Kawakami
Influenced

Awards

Akutagawa Prize
2018
Work: Map of the Night
Organization: Selection Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Map of the Night

2017 Novel 312 pages

Set in a contemporary city, the novel follows a mysterious map that appears only at night and the encounters of those who search for it. It delicately explores loneliness, fragments of memory, and the fluidity of time.

lonelinessmemorythe city
Adaptations
  • [Film] Map of the Night / 山田 太郎 (2020)
Translations
  • English translation: Map of the Night (provisional translation)

Afternoon at the Lighthouse

2013 Short Story Collection 196 pages

A collection of short stories set in a seaside town. The pieces capture small anxieties of daily life and the subtleties of human relationships.

lossrenewalnostalgia

Bibliography

  • Afternoon at the Lighthouse (2013)
  • Map of the Night (2017)
  • Mirror of the Wind (2021)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptation: Map of the Night (2020)

Translations of Works

  • Map of the Night — English translation (incomplete)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, poetic descriptionsconcise yet symbolic prose
Recurring Motifs
nightmapslights

Legacy

Known for exploring urban loneliness and memory, he is regarded as an important contemporary voice in Japanese literature and has influenced younger writers.

Quotes

  • The night brings the past with it, but at the same time it hands you a map of the future.
    Source: Map of the Night (2017) (2017)

Trivia

  • He has mentioned in interviews that he prefers coffee.
  • It is said he habitually takes walks at night while writing.