Noma Hiroshi
Encyclopedia
was a noted Japanese author.
Noma was born in Kōbe
to a devout Buddhist family, and took up literature in 1932 after meeting the poet Takeuchi Shizuo. In 1935 he enrolled at Kyoto University
, where he studied French literature with a particular interest in French Symbolist poetry. He also became active in Marxist student movements.
Noma's first long novel, , was published in 1952. It has been called one of the best war novels produced after World War II
. In 1971 Noma received the Tanizaki Prize
for his 5-volume work . In 1972 he won the Lotus Prize for Literature
.
Noma was born in Kōbe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
to a devout Buddhist family, and took up literature in 1932 after meeting the poet Takeuchi Shizuo. In 1935 he enrolled at Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
, where he studied French literature with a particular interest in French Symbolist poetry. He also became active in Marxist student movements.
Noma's first long novel, , was published in 1952. It has been called one of the best war novels produced after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1971 Noma received 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...
for his 5-volume work . In 1972 he won the Lotus Prize for Literature
Lotus Prize for Literature
The Lotus Prize for Literature was a literary award presented annually to African and Asian authors by the Afro-Asian Writers' Association .The Bureau, as the Association was initially known, was founded in Sri...
.
Selected works in translation
- Dark Pictures and Other Stories, Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies, 30, University of Michigan Press, 2000, ISBN 0-939512-03-3.
- Zone of EmptinessZone of EmptinessZone of Emptiness is a war novel by Japanese writer Hiroshi Noma. It was translated into French at the University of Tokyo and published by Editions Le Sycomore as Zone de vide, and subsequently translated into English by Bernard Frechtman and published in the United States in 1956.-Plot:The...
, Cleveland & New York, The World Publishing Company, 1956, tr. Bernard Frechtman.