Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1997) award
Masao Takahashi
たかはし まさお
Takahashi Masao
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1935-10-23 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 2019-01-27 （Hospital in Tokyo, Japan） age 83
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Literary critic
- Active Years
- 1973-2019
- Nominations
- 1973 Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Shiroari"), 1974 Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Doke no Haikei / The Clown's Background"), 1975 Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Wara no Nukumori / The Warmth of Straw"), 1977 Naoki Prize nominee ("Kojin / Street Dust"), 1983 Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Machi no Aki / Autumn in Town")
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keio University | Faculty of Letters, Department of French | Department of French | — | — | Japan |
Keio University
Faculty of Letters, Department of French
/ Department of French
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize | The Rotation of the Spinning Top: Reviving Modern Novels | — | Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize Committee | winner |
Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize
1997
Work:
The Rotation of the Spinning Top: Reviving Modern Novels
Organization:
Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize Committee
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Street Dust
1977 NovelA collection of short and mid-length pieces portraying urban life and ordinary people. Published in 1977 and was nominated for the Naoki Prize.
urban lifefragments of daily lifehuman relationships
Honeyed Sleep
1977 NovelShort and mid-length stories focusing on sensual motifs and human psychology.
desireinteriorityrelationships
The Ogre's Drum
1979 NovelA novel incorporating allegorical elements in its narrative.
allegoryfolkloreviolence and its aftermath
Light Under the Eaves
1979 NovelA short-story collection depicting the small details of everyday life among ordinary people.
everyday lifefamilystreet corners
Daytime Drinking
1980 Fiction / EssaysShort stories and essays that examine human relationships through scenes of daytime drinking.
customsalcoholhuman relationships
Otonashi River Illustrated
1982 NovelLandscape-focused work set around an imagined river and its surroundings.
sense of placememorylandscape
Autumn in Town
1983 Novel/Short StoriesWorks depicting seasonal change and townscapes. It was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize.
seasonsthe cityreminiscence
Summer Solstice
1991 NovelA long-form novel that probes characters' inner lives against the backdrop of summer.
interiorityseasonal atmosphereloneliness
The Willow Looking Back
1992 NovelA work that explores intersections of past and present.
remembrancefamily historytime
Firefly Cage
1995 NovelA short-story collection tinged with nostalgia and pathos.
nostalgialossnight
The Rotation of the Spinning Top: Reviving Modern Novels
1996 Literary criticismAn essay collection arguing for the reappraisal and revival of modern Japanese novels. Winner of the 1997 Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize.
modern novel studiescriticismliterary history
The Banquet
1999 NovelA novel serialized in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun from 1998 to 1999.
communitythe dining tableritual
On a Wife's Love: Letters to the Loving Wife
2001 EssaysAn essay collection focused on wives and domestic life.
homegender relationstheory of love
Neon and Crickets: Shinjuku Kakuhazu 1-1
2001 Essays / TravelogueEssays about the memories and landscapes of a corner of Shinjuku.
urban historymemorylandscape
Medieval Shigure Zoshi
2007 NovelA work incorporating historical elements set in the medieval period.
historyreconstructiontradition
Bibliography
- Street Dust (Bungei Shunju) 1977
- Honeyed Sleep (Shinchosha) 1977
- The Ogre's Drum (Shueisha) 1979
- Light Under the Eaves (Bungei Shunju) 1979
- Daytime Drinking (Heibonsha) 1980
- Otonashi River Illustrated (Shueisha) 1982
- Autumn in Town (Fukutake Shoten) 1983
- Summer Solstice (Shinchosha) 1991
- The Willow Looking Back (Shinchosha) 1992
- Firefly Cage (Shinchosha) 1995
- The Rotation of the Spinning Top: Reviving Modern Novels (Ozawa Shoten) 1996
- The Banquet (Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha) 1999
- On a Wife's Love: Letters to the Loving Wife (Kairyusha) 2001
- Neon and Crickets: Shinjuku Kakuhazu 1-1 (Shinchosha) 2001
- Medieval Shigure Zoshi (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing) 2007
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Calm, observational prose often incorporating critical commentary; strong interest in reappraising modern Japanese novels
- Recurring Motifs
- urban detailsmemory and reminiscencereconsideration of modernity
Health
-
Pneumonia2019年1月Hospitalized and subsequently died due to pneumonia
Legacy
Masao Takahashi is known for works and criticism focused on urban detail and the reappraisal of modern Japanese novels. He contributed to the revival of the literary journal Mita Bungaku and served as its editor-in-chief; his contributions to literature were recognized with awards such as the 1997 Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize.
Archives
- National Diet Library
- Kotobank (author page)
Trivia
- Worked at Hakuhodo and Cosmo PR before beginning creative writing activities.
- Involved in the revival of the literary journal Mita Bungaku and served as editor-in-chief from 1985 to 1986.
- Was nominated multiple times for the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes starting in the 1970s.
- Won the 25th Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize in 1997 for "The Rotation of the Spinning Top: Reviving Modern Novels".
- Serialized the novel "The Banquet" in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun from May 1998 to July 1999.
- Died on January 27, 2019 in a Tokyo hospital from pneumonia (aged 83).