Japan’s rich literary history may be traced back to the 11th century with the masterpiece The Tale of Genji, a story considered to be the world’s earliest full-length novel. Ever since, many high calibre authors, such as Yukio Mishima, Junichiro Tanizaki, Yasunari Kawabata and most recently Haruki Murakami, have helped increase the presence of Japanese literature in the world. Amidst the success of such literary greats, a new, younger generation of Japanese of authors is also starting to gain international recognition and award-winning author Fuminori Nakamura is without doubt at the front of this movement.

On the occasion of the Japan Now, an event focusing on contemporary writing, politics and culture in Japan (the British Library, 27 February 2016) the Japan Foundation is delighted to host this special talk by Nakamura.

In conversation with journalist Paul Blezard, Nakamura will reflect on his rise into the literary world and introduce his work which has led him to be called the new master of ‘Japanese Noir’. Often featuring marginalised protagonists on the fringes of society, Nakamura will discuss his inspirations and process of creation, as well as overview the current situation of Japanese literature.

With now four of his novels translated to English garnering praise internationally, as well as awards and film adaptations, Nakamura looks set to follow in the footsteps of many literary greats and this event will be great opportunity for booklovers to discover a new voice of Japanese literature.

Fuminori Nakamura

Fuminori Nakamura was born in 1977 and graduated from Fukushima University in 2000. Nakamura’s first novel The Gun was awarded the coveted Noma Literary Prize for New Writers in 2002 and his short story collection Child in the Ground won the Akutagawa prize in 2005. The Thief, winner of the 2010 Oe Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award, was his first book to be translated into English (translated from the Japanese by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates) and was a finalist for the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Since The Thief, three further of his works have been translated to English, including The Gun (translated by Allison Markin Powell), Evil and the Mask (translated by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates) and Last Winter, We Parted (translated by Allison Markin Powell).

Organised in association with Modern Culture

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Japanese Noir - Author Fuminori Nakamura in conversation