Kobo Abe
Encyclopedia
, pseudonym
of was a Japanese writer, playwright
, photographer and inventor. Abe has been often compared to Franz Kafka
and Alberto Moravia
for his surreal, often nightmarish explorations of individuals in contemporary society and his modernist sensibilities.
, Tokyo
and grew up in Mukden (now Shen-yang) in Manchuria
. His father was a physician who taught at a local medical college. Abe returned to Japan
in 1941 and began studies at Tokyo Imperial University in 1943. He graduated in 1948 with a medical degree, on the condition that he would not practice.
novelist and playwright
, it was not until the publication of The Woman in the Dunes in 1962 that he won widespread international acclaim.
In the 1960s, he collaborated with Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara in the film adaptations of The Pitfall, Woman in the Dunes
, The Face of Another and The Ruined Map. In 1973, he founded an acting studio in Tokyo, where he trained performers and directed plays. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1977.
in 1951 for The Crime of S. Karuma, the Yomiuri Prize
in 1962 for Woman in the Dunes, and the Tanizaki Prize
in 1967 for the play Friends. Kenzaburō Ōe
stated that Abe deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature
, which he himself had won (Abe was nominated multiple times).
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of was a Japanese writer, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, photographer and inventor. Abe has been often compared to Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
and Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism....
for his surreal, often nightmarish explorations of individuals in contemporary society and his modernist sensibilities.
Early life
Abe was born in KitaKita, Tokyo
is one of the special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself the City of Kita .As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 332,140 and a population density of 16,140 persons per km². The total area is 20.59 km².-Geography:...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and grew up in Mukden (now Shen-yang) in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. His father was a physician who taught at a local medical college. Abe returned to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1941 and began studies at Tokyo Imperial University in 1943. He graduated in 1948 with a medical degree, on the condition that he would not practice.
Career
He was first published as a poet in 1947 with Mumei shishu ("Poems of an unknown poet") and as a novelist the following year with Owarishi michi no shirube ni ("The Road Sign at the End of the Street"), which established his reputation. Though he did much work as an avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
novelist and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, it was not until the publication of The Woman in the Dunes in 1962 that he won widespread international acclaim.
In the 1960s, he collaborated with Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara in the film adaptations of The Pitfall, Woman in the Dunes
Woman in the Dunes
is a film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and based on the novel of the same name by Kōbō Abe. The novel was published in 1962, and the film was released in 1964. Kōbō Abe also wrote the screenplay for the film version....
, The Face of Another and The Ruined Map. In 1973, he founded an acting studio in Tokyo, where he trained performers and directed plays. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1977.
Awards
Among the honors bestowed on him were the Akutagawa PrizeAkutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
in 1951 for The Crime of S. Karuma, the Yomiuri Prize
Yomiuri Prize
The is a prestigious literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1948 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "cultural nation". The winner is awarded one million Japanese yen and an inkstone.-Award categories:...
in 1962 for Woman in the Dunes, and the Tanizaki Prize
Tanizaki Prize
The Tanizaki Prize , named in honor of the Japanese novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, is one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher...
in 1967 for the play Friends. Kenzaburō Ōe
Kenzaburo Oe
is a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...
stated that Abe deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
, which he himself had won (Abe was nominated multiple times).
Novels
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Translations available | Notes |
| 1948 | Owarishi michi no shirube ni |
At the Guidepost at the End of the Road | ||
| 1954 | Kiga doumei |
Starving Unions | ||
| 1957 | Kemono tachi wa kokyou wo mezasu |
Animals Are Going To Their Home | ||
| 1959 | Dai yon kan pyouki |
Inter Ice Age 4 | E. Dale Saunders E. Dale Saunders E. Dale Saunders was an American scholar of Romance languages and literature, Japanese Buddhism, classical Japanese literature, and East Asian civilization.... |
|
| 1960 | Ishi no me |
Stony Eyes | ||
| 1962 | Suna no onna |
Woman in the Dunes | E. Dale Saunders | |
| 1964 | Tanin no kao |
The Face of Another The Face of Another is a 1959 novel by Kōbō Abe. In 1966, It was adapted into a film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara.-Synopsis:A plastics scientist loses his face in an accident and proceeds to obtain a new face for himself. With a new 'mask', the protagonist sees the world in a new way and even goes so far as to have... |
E. Dale Saunders | |
| 1965 | Enomoto takeaki |
Takeaki Enomoto | ||
| 1967 | Moetsukita chizu |
The Ruined Map The Ruined Map (novel) The Ruined Map is a novel written by the Japanese writer Kōbō Abe in 1967.The Ruined Map is the story of an unnamed detective, hired by a beautiful, alcoholic woman, to find clues related to the disappearance of her husband... |
E. Dale Saunders | |
| 1973 | Hako otoko |
The Box Man | E. Dale Saunders | |
| 1977 | Mikkai |
Secret Rendezvous | Juliet Winters Carpenter Juliet Winters Carpenter Juliet Winters Carpenter is an American translator of modern Japanese literature. Born in the American Midwest, she studied Japanese literature at the University of Michigan and the Inter-University Centre for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo... |
|
| 1984 | Hakobune sakura maru |
The Ark Sakura | Juliet Winters Carpenter | |
| 1991 | Kangaruu noto |
Kangaroo Notebook Kangaroo Notebook (novel) is a novel written by the Japanese writer Kōbō Abe between ca. 1973 - 1977.-Plot summary:One morning, while pondering the stress of his latest assignment at his uninspiring job, the narrator of Kangaroo Notebook feels an itching on his leg that seems to indicate an unusual hair loss. The next... |
Maryellen Toman Mori | |
| 1994 | Tobu otoko |
The Flying Man | Incomplete | |
Collected short stories
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Translations available | Notes |
| 1951 | Kabe |
The Wall | ||
| 1952 | Ueta hihu |
The Starving Skin | ||
| 1952 | Chinnyu sha |
Intruders | ||
| 1956 | R62 R62 gou no hatumei |
Inventions by R62 | ||
| 1964 | Mukankei na shi |
The Unrelated Death | ||
| 1967 | Ningen sokkuri |
The Double of Human Being | ||
| 1968 | Yume no toubou |
|||
| 1975 | Warau tsuki |
The Laughing Moon | ||
| 1993 | Beyond the Curve | Juliet Winters Carpenter |
Plays
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Translations available | Notes |
| 1955 | Seifuku |
Uniforms | ||
| 1955 | Dorei gari |
Slave Hunting | ||
| 1955 | Kaisoku sen |
The Speedy Ship | ||
| 1958 | Yuurei wa koko ni iru |
The Ghost Is Here | Donald Keene Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene is a Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over fifty years... |
Collected in Three Plays by Kobo Abe |
| 1965 | Omae nimo tsumi ga aru |
You are also guilty | ||
| 1967 | Tomodachi |
Friends | Donald Keene | |
| 1967 | Enomoto takeaki |
Takeaki Enomoto | ||
| 1969 | Bou ni natta otoko |
The Man Who Turned Into A Stick The Man Who Turned Into A Stick "The Man Who Turned Into A Stick" is a one-act play written by Kōbō Abe. It is the third of three plays written over twelve years meant to symbolize the different stages of life, usually shown together. The first, representing birth, is "The Suitcase"... |
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| 1971 | Mihitsu no koi |
Involuntary Homicide | Donald Keene | Collected in Three Plays by Kobo Abe |
| 1971 | Gaido bukku |
Guide Book | ||
| 1973 | Ai no megane wa iro garasu |
Loving Glasses Are Colored Ones | ||
| 1974 | Midori iro no sutokkingu |
Green Stockings | Donald Keene | Collected in Three Plays by Kobo Abe |
| 1975 | Uē (Shin dorei gari) |
Ue (Slave Hunting, New Version) | ||
| 1976 | GUIDE BOOK II Annai nin |
The Guide Man, GUIDE BOOK II | ||
| 1978 | Hito sarai |
Kidnap | ||
| 1978 | S・ S・Karuma shi no hanzai |
The crime of S. Karuma | ||
| 1979 | Kozou wa shinda |
An Elephant Calf Is Dead | ||
Poetry
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Translations available | Notes |
| 1947 | Mumei shishu |
Poems of an unknown poet | ||