| Kazufumi Shiraishi (白石一文) | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 Japan |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Novel |
| Notable works | Hokanaranu hito e (To an Incomparable Other) Kono mune ni fukabuka to tsukisasaru ya o nuke (Remove that Arrow from Deep in My Heart) |
| Notable awards | Naoki Prize (2009) |
Kazufumi Shiraishi(白石 一文Shiraishi Kazufumi) is a Japanese novelist and the son of novelist Ichirō Shiraishi. The two are the only father-son pair to have both received the Naoki Prize, the father on his eighth nomination after numerous disappointments and the son on his second, for the 2009 Hokanaranu hito e (To an Incomparable Other). At his prize press conference, the son joked that he had always “hated” the Naoki because of the grief it had put his father through. [1]
Japanese people are a nation and an ethnic group that is native to Japan and makes up 98.5% of the total population of the country. Worldwide, approximately 129 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 125 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live outside Japan are referred to as nikkeijin(日系人), the Japanese diaspora. The term ethnic Japanese is often used to refer to Japanese people, specifically Yamato people. Japanese are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world.
The Naoki Prize, officially Naoki Sanjugo Prize, is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the award recognizes "the best work of popular literature in any format by a new, rising, or established author." The winner receives a watch and one million yen.
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Shiraishi debuted in 2000 to great critical acclaim with Isshun no hikari (A Ray of Light). His novel Boku no naka no kowareteinai bubun (The Part of Me That Isn’t Broken Inside), published in 2002, became a national best-seller and is forthcoming in translation from Dalkey Archive Press, who is also publishing Shiraishi's 2008 novel, Kono yo no zenbu o tekini mawashite (Me Against the World). In addition to winning the Naoki Prize, Shiraishi has also won the prestigious Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize for his 2009 novel, Kono mune ni fukabuka to tsukisasaru ya o nuke (Remove That Arrow from Deep in My Heart). [2] He is a member of Red Circle Authors. [3]
Dalkey Archive Press is a publisher of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism in Illinois in the United States, Dublin, and London, specializing in the publication or republication of lesser known, often avant-garde works. The publisher is named for the novel The Dalkey Archive, by the Irish author Flann O'Brien.
The Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize (山本周五郎賞) is a Japanese literary award established in 1988 in memory of author Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was created and continues to be sponsored by the Shinchosha Publishing company, which published Yamamoto's Complete Works. The prize is awarded annually to a new work of fiction considered to exemplify the art of storytelling, by a five-person panel consisting of fellow authors. Winners receive ¥1 million.
