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Mitsuru Suzuki

すずき みつる

Suzuki Mitsuru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-03-03 （Fukagawa, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2017-05-29 age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
poet
Active Years
1948-2017
Affiliations
Ibaraki Prefectural Government (former employee), Ibaraki Literary Association (formerly Ibaraki Bungeika Association)
Memberships
Ibaraki Literary Association, Japan Poets Club

Education

Chuo University
Faculty of Economics
Period: 1945–1948
Year of Graduation: 1948
Country: Japan

Awards

Ibaraki Literary Prize
1981
Work: Yoshino (poetry collection)
Organization: Ibaraki Literary Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Poets Club Prize (20th)
1987
Work: Hane / Wings (poetry collection)
Organization: Japan Poets Club
Result: 受賞
Ibaraki Shimbun Prize
1997
Work: Gassan / Mt. Gassan (poetry collection)
Organization: Ibaraki Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class
1997
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Japan Poets Club Lifetime Member Commendation
2006
Organization: Japan Poets Club
Result: 表彰

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

I Want to Hear a Voice

1969 poetry

An early collection of poems focusing on personal lyricism and calls to voice.

lyricismvoiceintrospection

Yoshino (Selected Poems)

1981 poetry

A representative mid-career collection dealing with nature and nostalgia; recipient of the Ibaraki Literary Prize.

naturenostalgiaregional identity

Wings (poetry collection)

1986 poetry

A collection notable for symbolic imagery and lyrical expression; awarded the Japan Poets Club Prize.

symbolismrebirthmemory

Aquifer (poetry anthology, edited by Kaoru Kuriyama)

1996 poetry/poems

An edited anthology by Kaoru Kuriyama including poems by Mitsuru Suzuki.

waterflowsequence of poems

Gassan (poetry collection)

1997 poetry

A mature collection exploring human sense of time and memory through nature and mountains.

mountainsmemorynature

Pilgrimage of Seasonal Words

2003 essays on seasonal words / criticism

A collection of essays and criticism on seasonal words (kigo) and seasonal sensibilities.

seasonalityhaiku sensibilitynuance of language

Collected Poems of Mitsuru Suzuki (New Japanese Contemporary Poetry Series)

2006 collected poems / anthology

A collected volume compiling decades of poetry; traces the development of his poetic style.

recollectionnaturelife

Bibliography

  • I Want to Hear a Voice (1969)
  • Yoshino: Selected Poems (1981)
  • Wings: Selected Poems (1986)
  • Aquifer: Poetry Anthology (1996, ed. Kaoru Kuriyama)
  • Gassan: Selected Poems (1997)
  • Pilgrimage of Seasonal Words (2003)
  • Collected Poems of Mitsuru Suzuki (2006)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and accessible styletendency to use symbolic imagery
Recurring Motifs
natureseasonalitymemorywar and peace

Legacy

Known for poetic work combining regional character and lyricism, Suzuki was active in the poetic community based in Ibaraki for many years. He received multiple awards including the Ibaraki Literary Prize and the Japan Poets Club Prize, and was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1997.

Academic Societies

  • Ibaraki Literary Association
  • Japan Poets Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library (bibliographic records)
  • VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)

Trivia

  • He lost his parents and a brother in the Tokyo air raids during the Pacific War.
  • After graduating from Chuo University's Faculty of Economics, he worked at the Ibaraki Prefectural Government.
  • Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class, in 1997.