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Koichi Suwabe

すわべ こういち

Suwabe Koichi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1970-01-01 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English

Career

Occupations
researcher, university lecturer, American literature scholar
Active Years
1994-
Affiliations
Tokyo Gakugei University, Faculty of Education, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Associate Professor), The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Faculty of Letters (Associate Professor)
Influenced By
William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut

Education

Sophia University
Faculty of Letters / Department of English Literature
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 1990-1994
Year of Graduation: 1994
Country: Japan
The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Department of Western Cultural Studies (English and American Literature)
Degree: 修士（文学）
Period: 1995-1997
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: Japan
Entered doctoral program; left after earning credits (PhD coursework not completed at this institution)
The University of Tokyo, Graduate School (PhD program)
Department of Western Cultural Studies (English and American Literature)
Period: 1997-2002
Year of Graduation: 2002
Country: Japan
Left doctoral program after completing coursework
State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo)
Graduate Department of English (Ph.D. program) / Department of English
Degree: Ph.D
Period: 2002-2004
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States
Ph.D. completed

Awards

Shimizu Hiroshi Prize (14th)
2009
Work: The Poetics of William Faulkner 1930-1936
Organization: American Studies Association (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Criticism/Essay)
2013
Work: Lectures on 'The Maltese Falcon'
Category: 評論
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Poetics of William Faulkner 1930-1936

2008 literary criticism

A scholarly study analyzing Faulkner's works in the 1930s from a poetics perspective, focusing on structure and motifs.

Faulkner studiesModernismregion and memory

Lectures on 'The Maltese Falcon'

2012 lecture/criticism

A lecture-style critical examination situating 'The Maltese Falcon' within the contexts of Dashiell Hammett and pulp/newspaper fiction.

hardboiled fictiondetective fiction theorynarrative structure

Lectures on Noir Literature

2014 lecture/criticism

An overview and analysis of noir and hardboiled literary traditions and themes.

noirviolence and representationurban space

Searching for the American Novel

2017 literary studies

A collection of essays tracing key works and trends in American fiction.

overview of American literaturecross-genre analysis

Kurt Vonnegut: The Poetics of Trauma

2019 literary criticism

A study of representations of trauma and narrative methods in Vonnegut's works.

traumapostmodernismblack humor

Lectures on Chandler

2024 lecture/criticism

A collection of lectures discussing Raymond Chandler's authorship and contributions to detective fiction.

Chandler studieshardboiled fictionurban landscapes

Bibliography

  • The Poetics of William Faulkner 1930-1936
  • Lectures on 'The Maltese Falcon'
  • Lectures on Noir Literature
  • Searching for the American Novel
  • Kurt Vonnegut: The Poetics of Trauma
  • Lectures on Chandler

Translations by Author

  • Faulkner, Light in August (Iwanami Bunko edition, 2016, 2 vols.)
  • Faulkner, Flags in the Dust (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly analytical proselecture-style, accessible explanationscontextual-historical focus
Recurring Motifs
region (Southern) and memoryviolence and ethicscross-genre study (hardboiled and literary fiction)

Legacy

A scholar with significant contributions to American literature studies—especially Faulkner and hardboiled fiction. Through teaching and translations he has contributed to the dissemination of American literary studies in Japan.

Academic Societies

  • American Studies Association (Japan)

Archives

  • The University of Tokyo faculty profile & research archive
  • researchmap (researcher profile page)

Trivia

  • Was a member of the shogi apprentice organization (Shoreikai) in his youth (former member).
  • Appeared on an NHK educational television program about shogi in 2016.
  • Served as a record-keeper for a Kio title match in 1989.