Japanese Literary Awards

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Shirouyasu Suzuki

すずき しろうやす

Suzuki Shirouyasu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-05-19 （Kameido, Koto, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2022-09-08 age 87
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kameido, Koto, Tokyo, Japan → Tama, Tokyo (resided while working at Tama Art University)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Filmmaker, Film critic, University lecturer
Active Years
1952-2022
Affiliations
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Tokyo Zokei University (part-time lecturer), Image Forum (lecturer, Film Research Institute), Waseda University (part-time lecturer), Tama Art University (professor)
Influenced By
Jonas Mekas

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters (First Division) / French literature
Period: 1957-1961
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: Japan
Published literary magazine 'Aowan' (Seiwani) while a student
Nihon University First High School
Period: 1951-1954
Year of Graduation: 1954
Country: Japan
High school graduate

Awards

H Prize
1968
Work: Canned Cohabitation or Escape to the Pitfall
Organization: H Prize Committee
Result: winner
Takami Jun Prize
2002
Work: Kurumi Pointer
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: winner
Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize
2008
Work: The Fabric of Voice
Organization: Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize Committee
Result: winner
Maruyama Yutaka Memorial Contemporary Poetry Prize
2014
Work: Pechable Poet
Organization: Maruyama Yutaka Memorial Contemporary Poetry Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Newborn City

1963 Poetry

An early poetry collection weaving diary-like perspectives and urban fragments. Noted as his debut work.

Urban lifePersonal fragmentsDiary-like narration

Canned Cohabitation or Escape to the Pitfall

1967 Poetry

Contains striking poems featuring destructive colloquial expressions, erotic-grotesque imagery, and nonsense language.

Erotic grotesqueNonsenseColloquial expression

Kurumi Pointer

2001 Poetry

A mature work recognized for its poetic inquiry and measured language; it won the Takami Jun Prize.

Exploration of languageMaturationMemory

The Fabric of Voice

2008 Poetry

Explores sound and the tactile quality of language in poetry. Winner of the Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize.

VoiceSoundMateriality of language

Pechable Poet

2013 Poetry

A late-career poetry collection whose distinctive poetic world earned the Maruyama Yutaka Memorial Contemporary Poetry Prize.

Self and otherWord playMemory of the city

Bibliography

  • Newborn City (1963)
  • Canned Cohabitation or Escape to the Pitfall (1967)
  • Collected Poems of Shirouyasu Suzuki (1969)
  • Dream of the Soft Darkness (1974)
  • Kurumi Pointer (2001)
  • The Fabric of Voice (2008)
  • Pechable Poet (2013)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Colloquial and disruptive expressionErotic-grotesque imageryDiary-like, intensely personal perspectiveIntersection of experimental film and poetry
Recurring Motifs
The cityThe bodyMemoryNonsense language

Legacy

One of postwar Japan's representative avant-garde poets. Known for work that crosses cinema and poetry, provoking literary debate with erotic-grotesque and colloquial expressions. Also recognized for his teaching career and multiple major awards.

Archives

  • Materials held by the National Diet Library

Trivia

  • Real name: Suzuki Yasuyuki (鈴木康之).
  • In addition to poetry, he produced many independent films as a filmmaker.
  • In 2016 he was commended by the mayor of Shibuya for long-term care of his teeth (mentioned on his official site).
  • Official website: http://shirouyasu.com/