Japanese Literary Awards

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Akiro Yamazaki

やまざき あきろう

Yamazaki Akiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
physician, writer, non-fiction author

Awards

48th Mainichi Film Concours - Best Director (related)
1993
Work: Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (original work)
Category: 監督賞
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun / Mainichi Film Concours
Result: 受賞
3rd Japan Movie Critics Awards - Best Film (related)
1993
Work: Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (film / original work)
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Japanese Movie Critics Awards
Result: 受賞
Takasaki Film Festival - Best Director (related)
1993
Work: Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (film / original work)
Category: 監督賞
Organization: Takasaki Film Festival
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto

1990 non-fiction

A non-fiction book by a practicing physician exploring death in hospitals, clinical and ethical issues in medical settings, and the experiences of patients and families; highlights end-of-life care and the importance of hospice.

deathend-of-life carehospicemedical ethics
Adaptations
  • [film] Byôin de shinu to iu koto / 市川準 (1993)
  • [television drama] Mahiru no Tsuki: Zoku Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (1994)
Translations
  • Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto
  • Dying in the Hospital

Zoku Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto — And Now I'm in Hospice

1993 non-fiction

A follow-up to the earlier work, detailing the author's practice and reflections on hospice and end-of-life care; later served as the basis for a television drama.

hospiceend-of-life caremedical practice

Bibliography

  • Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (1990)
  • Zoku Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto — And Now I'm in Hospice (1993)

Adaptations

  • Film: Byôin de shinu to iu koto (1993), directed by Jun Ichikawa
  • TV drama: Mahiru no Tsuki — Zoku Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto (1994), TBS

Translations of Works

  • Dying in the Hospital
  • Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clinical, matter-of-fact reporting based on medical practicereportage/essay style with empathy toward patients
Recurring Motifs
medicine and human deathinteractions between patients and familiesthe need for hospice care

Legacy

Widely read as a physician's account and reflection on end-of-life care; helped stimulate discussion in Japan during the 1990s about hospice and terminal care. Film and TV adaptations increased public awareness.

In Popular Culture

  • Became widely known through the 1993 film (directed by Jun Ichikawa) and the 1994 television drama adaptation.

Trivia

  • The book was adapted into a film in 1993; the VHS was released in 1994 and, as of 2021, it had not been released on DVD.
  • The sequel, Zoku Byoin de Shinu to Iu Koto, was adapted into a TV drama in 1994.