Bungei Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1976) award
Hidetoshi Sotooka
そとおか ひでとし
Sotooka Hidetoshi
Aliases:
中原清一郎
Pen Names:
Seiichiro Nakahara（Pen name used for some works (notably novels such as 'Canon')）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1953-05-22 （Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan）
- Died
- 2021-12-23 （Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort, Hokkaido, Japan） age 68
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Sapporo (birthplace; later life) → Tokyo (work and reporting base)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Journalist, Reporter, Editor
- Active Years
- 1977-2021
- Affiliations
- The Asahi Shimbun, Editorial Director, Asahi Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters (former), Hokkaido University Public Policy Graduate School (Senior Research Fellow)
- Influenced By
- Takuboku Ishikawa
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Law | Law | 学士（法学） | — | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Law
/ Law
Degree:
学士（法学）
Year of Graduation:
1977
Country:
Japan
Published the novel 'Shiroi Kōmori wa Tobu' while enrolled and received the university 'Ginkgo Row' prize.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Bungei Prize | Return to the North (Hokki-kō) | — | Bungei (literary magazine) | 受賞 |
| — | Ginkgo Row Prize (University Friendship Association) | White Bat Flies | — | University of Tokyo Friendship Association | 受賞 |
Bungei Prize
1976
Work:
Return to the North (Hokki-kō)
Organization:
Bungei (literary magazine)
Result:
受賞
Ginkgo Row Prize (University Friendship Association)
Work:
White Bat Flies
Organization:
University of Tokyo Friendship Association
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Return to the North (Hokki-kō)
1976 NovelA novel inspired by the poet Takuboku Ishikawa that explores youth, inner conflict, nostalgia, and the intersection of individual lives with history.
Takuboku Ishikawanostalgiamemory and history
Canon
2014 NovelA novel published under the pen name Seiichiro Nakahara. One of his comeback works as a novelist, dealing with family, time, and memory.
familytimememory
Portraits of America
1994 Non-fictionA non-fiction work portraying American society from a journalist's perspective, compiling observations and essays based on reporting.
American societyinternational relationsjournalism
3/11 Complex Disaster
2012 Non-fictionA collection of essays and reports analyzing the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident from literary and social perspectives.
earthquakenuclear powerstate and citizens
Bibliography
- Return to the North (Hokki-kō) (1976)
- Portraits of America (1994)
- The New Era of the United Nations: Olive and Fangs (1994)
- Earthquake and Society: A Record of the Great Hanshin Earthquake (1997)
- Letters from an Observer from London 2003-2005 (2005)
- How to Handle Information: Practical Tips for Newspaper Reporters (2006)
- To Asia: Letters from an Observer 2 (2010)
- Disaster and Nuclear Power: The State's Mistakes - Reading 3/11 through Literature (2012)
- 3/11 Complex Disaster (2012)
- How to Write Communicative Sentences: 65 Techniques from a Distinguished Reporter (2012)
- Adult Writing Workshop: 66 Tips for Writing Clearly (2018)
- How to Develop Communication Skills: Lessons from a Journalist (2015)
- The Value of the Japanese Constitution: Viewed through the Genealogy of Liberalism (2016)
- A World of Changing Values: Race, Viruses, and the Fate of Nations (2021)
- Not Yet Swayed by Monarchism (pen name Seiichiro Nakahara) (1986)
- Canon (pen name Seiichiro Nakahara) (2014)
- Dragon Option (pen name Seiichiro Nakahara) (2015)
- The Dimming of People (pen name Seiichiro Nakahara) (2017)
- Half a Century of the Japan-US Alliance: Security and Secret Pacts (co-authored, 2001)
- September 11: The Day the Media Were Tested (co-authored, 2001)
- Newspaper Reporter: Keiichiro Hikida and His Work (co-edited, 2007)
- The Beginning of Democratic Politics: Viewing the World from the Turn of Government (co-authored, 2010)
- Overwhelming! Declaration of Liberalism (co-authored, 2018)
Translations by Author
- Translated John W. Dower, 'Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan, America, and the War' (Iwanami Shoten, 2013)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical prose that weaves in historical perspectivejournalistic concision and observational clarity
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and nostalgiaintersection of individual and historyjournalistic ethics and citizenship
Health
-
heart failure2021-12-23Died of heart failure on 2021-12-23 at Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort (aged 68).
Legacy
Hidetoshi Sotooka was a long-time journalist and novelist, leaving both non-fiction and literary works informed by his reporting. He won the Bungei Prize early in his career for 'Return to the North' and was respected for bridging journalism and literature. In later years he returned to Sapporo to continue writing and lecturing.
Archives
- Held by the National Diet Library (works and archives)
- The Asahi Shimbun archives (records of reporting career)
In Popular Culture
- Regular commentator on BS Asahi's program 'Ima Sekai wa' (The World Today)
Trivia
- Published some works under the pen name Seiichiro Nakahara.
- Took early retirement in 2011 to care for his parents and returned to Sapporo.
- Was offered the position of president of The Asahi Shimbun in 2014 but declined.
- Served in various roles at The Asahi Shimbun, including editorial director and foreign correspondent (New York, London).