Japanese Literary Awards

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Yasuhiro Yotsumoto

よつもと やすひろ

Yotsumoto Yasuhiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1959-08-21 （Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Neyagawa, Osaka (birthplace) → United States (residence/assignment) → Germany, suburban Munich (residence) → Japan (moved base in 2020)

Career

Occupations
poet, writer
Active Years
1991-
Nominations
Noma Literary New Author Prize (nominated), Noma Literary New Author Prize (nominated)

Education

Sophia University
Faculty of Literature / Department of English Literature
Degree: 文学士
Period: 1978-1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: Japan
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
Degree: 経営学修士 (MBA)
Period: 1989-1990
Year of Graduation: 1990
Country: United States
Earned an MBA at the Wharton School

Awards

Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize (3rd)
2002
Work: Conference of Middle-Aged People Around the World
Organization: Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Suruga Baika Literary Prize (5th)
2002
Work: Conference of Middle-Aged People Around the World
Organization: Suruga Baika Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Hagiwara Sakutaro Prize (11th)
2004
Work: An Afternoon of Silence
Organization: Hagiwara Sakutaro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Ayukawa Nobuo Prize (4th)
2013
Work: Captive of the Japanese Language
Organization: Ayukawa Nobuo Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Laughing Bug

1991 poetry collection

First poetry collection. Includes poems that incorporate economic and business terminology drawn from his experience as a businessman.

economicscorporate/markethumor

Conference of Middle-Aged People Around the World

2002 poetry collection

A poetry collection dealing with middle age and society; this collection won literary prizes.

middle agesocial observationlanguage

An Afternoon of Silence

2003 poetry collection

A collection themed around silence and stillness. Winner of the Hagiwara Sakutaro Prize.

silenceintrospectionsense of language

Captive of the Japanese Language

2012 poetry/essays

Works addressing the linguistic conflicts of the Japanese language and life abroad. Winner of the Ayukawa Nobuo Prize.

languagetranslationJapanese abroad

Prostate Song Diary

2018 essays/poetry

A work blending personal bodily experiences with poetic sensibility.

the bodyaginghumor

Bibliography

  • Laughing Bug (poetry collection)
  • Conference of Middle-Aged People Around the World
  • An Afternoon of Silence
  • Golden Hour
  • Collected Poems of Yasuhiro Yotsumoto
  • The Wife's Starboard
  • Language Jack
  • Tanigawa Shuntaro: Study Words vs Silence
  • Captive of the Japanese Language
  • The Strange Glory of the Pseudo-Poet
  • Contemporary Japan Poetry Diary
  • O Poets!
  • Novel
  • Monotonously, Clumsily and Roughly
  • Prostate Song Diary
  • Homo Sapiens: Modern Poems (translated by Yasuhiro Yotsumoto)
  • Dante Meets Li Bai: Classical Poems (translated by Yasuhiro Yotsumoto)
  • Song Rain

Adaptations

  • Mixed Choir and Piano: 'Goodbye, Lawrence'

Translations by Author

  • The Animals' Carnival (co-translated)
  • The Kid (co-translated)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Innovative style that employs economic and accounting terminologyJapanese poetry blended with humor
Recurring Motifs
economy and marketslanguage and translationlife abroad / alienation

Legacy

Recognized for a distinctive poetic voice that incorporates perspectives from life abroad and business experience; winner of multiple poetry prizes and seen as expanding expressive possibilities for Japanese-language poetry.

Trivia

  • Graduated from Sophia University, Faculty of Literature, Department of English Literature (1982).
  • Earned an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1990).
  • Lived for many years in the United States and Germany; moved his base back to Japan in 2020.
  • Has written a column 'Journey in Search of Poetry' for the Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun).