Bungei Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2004) award
Gen Shiraiwa
しらいわ げん
Shiraiwa Gen
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1983-01-01 （Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kyoto (birth–2011) → Tokyo (from 2011)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Essayist, Columnist
- Active Years
- 2004-
- Nominations
- Shortlisted for the 132nd Akutagawa Prize (2005)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Prefectural Suzaku High School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Osaka Designer College | Graphic Design Department | — | — | — | Japan |
Kyoto Prefectural Suzaku High School
Country:
Japan
After graduating, studied in the United Kingdom for about one year.
Osaka Designer College
Graphic Design Department
Country:
Japan
Graduated from the Graphic Design Department (vocational college).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Bungei Prize (41st) | Nobuta wo Produce | — | Bungei (magazine) | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Sakuya Konohana Award | Nobuta wo Produce | — | Sakuya Konohana Award | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Akutagawa Prize (nominee) | Nobuta wo Produce | — | Bungeishunjū | 候補 |
Bungei Prize (41st)
2004
Work:
Nobuta wo Produce
Organization:
Bungei (magazine)
Result:
受賞
Sakuya Konohana Award
2004
Work:
Nobuta wo Produce
Organization:
Sakuya Konohana Award
Result:
受賞
Akutagawa Prize (nominee)
2005
Work:
Nobuta wo Produce
Organization:
Bungeishunjū
Result:
候補
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Nobuta wo Produce
2004 NovelA novel about the friendship and self-recovery of a bullied girl and two male high school students. Shiraiwa's debut sold over 700,000 copies and was adapted into a hit TV drama in 2005.
friendshipyouthbullying and recoveryidentity
Adaptations
- [Television drama] Nobuta wo Produce (TV drama) (2005)
Singing to the Sky
2009 NovelA work with a short-story feel that delicately depicts loneliness and hope in everyday life.
lonelinessfamilyhope
About Love
2012 NovelA collection of short and mid-length pieces centered on love and human relationships, exploring how connections are formed in contemporary society.
loverelationshipsalienation
R30 Desire Switch — The True Desires of Young People Who Don't Crave
2014 Non-fiction / EssayA non-fiction/essay that analyzes the values and consumption behaviors of people around their 30s and reexamines their true desires.
youth studiesconsumptiondesire
Unmarried at 30
2014 EssayAn essay reflecting on being unmarried in one's 30s and societal perceptions surrounding it.
views on marriagelifestylesocial commentary
Hero!
2016 NovelA story that delves into the image of heroes and characters' inner lives.
heroismidentity
All the World's Goodbyes
2017 NovelA work themed on partings and loss, depicting the fragility of memory and relationships.
lossfarewellmemory
The Lions Who Threw Away Their Manes
2018 NovelA novel sharply portraying modern masculinity and vulnerability.
masculinitysocial critiquetransformation
Milk and Corona
2021 Essay (co-authored)A co-authored essay with Naokora Yamazaki, a dialogic record about life and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
parentingCOVID-19 pandemicfamily
Pretend Father
2022 NovelA story about fatherhood and family roles, confronting contemporary notions of fatherhood.
familyfatherhoodroles
Bibliography
- Nobuta wo Produce (2004)
- Singing to the Sky (2009)
- About Love (2012)
- R30 Desire Switch — The True Desires of Young People Who Don't Crave (2014)
- Unmarried at 30 (2014)
- Hero! (2016)
- All the World's Goodbyes (2017)
- The Lions Who Threw Away Their Manes (2018)
- Milk and Corona (2021, co-authored with Naokora Yamazaki)
- Pretend Father (2022)
- My Twenties As They Were (web series)
- The Curse of Masculinity (web series)
- I Have No Parent-Friends (web series)
Adaptations
- Nobuta wo Produce — adapted into a Japanese TV drama in 2005
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- accessible, conversational prosefocus on psychological characterizationuse of contemporary youth language
- Recurring Motifs
- youth loneliness and recoveryfamily and fatherhoodurban life and alienation
Legacy
Shiraiwa gained wide recognition when his debut sold over 700,000 copies and was adapted into a TV drama. He is known for candid portrayals of youth emotions and family, and has an audience for his essays and serialized writing.
In Popular Culture
- The TV adaptation of 'Nobuta wo Produce' brought wide recognition and influenced mid-2000s popular culture in Japan.
Trivia
- His debut 'Nobuta wo Produce' sold over 700,000 copies and was adapted into a TV drama in 2005.
- After debuting he experienced a slump and took about five years to publish a second major work.
- In 2009 he held a 13-part conversation series in 'Bungei' magazine with Shigesato Itoi.
- Sources list his birth year as 1983, but month and day are not publicly specified.