For Immediate Release s260

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 February 2014 Takahashi Genichiro A Japanese Writer’s Talk on Contemporary Literature

The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam invites Mr. Takahashi Genichiro, one of the well-known authors in Japan, to host the travelling lectures on contemporary literature in Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City from 10 – 12March 2014.

Takahashi Genichiro was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima prefecture and attended the Economics Department of Yokohama National University without graduating. As a radical student, he was arrested and spent half a year in prison, which caused Takahashi to develop a form of aphasia. As part of his rehabilitation, his doctors encouraged him to start writing. Since April 2005, he has been a professor at the International Department of Meiji Gakuin University.

Takahashi's debut work, “Sayonara, Gyangutachi [lit. Sayonara, Gangsters]”, was published in 1982, and won the Gunzo Literary Award for First Novels. It was also acclaimed by critics as one of the most important works of postwar Japanese literature and has been translated into English, Italian, Brazilian and Portuguese by Vertical, Inc. In 2013, with the financial support of The Japan Foundation, this novel has been published in Vietnamese by Nha Nam Publishing and Communications Company JSC.

In addition, his “Yuga de kansho-teki na Nippon-yakyuu [lit. Elegant and Sentimental]” won the Mishima Yukio Prize in 1988, and his “Nihon bungaku seisui shi [lit. The Rise and Fall of Japanese Literature]” received the Itoh Sei Literature Award. In 2012, “Sayonara Christopher Robin [lit. Goodbye, Christopher Robin]” won the Tanizaki Prize.

He is also known as a writer of incisive essays on current events, and as a commentator on horse racing.

His varied achievements on literature will assure you of the understanding of stimulating issues on the contemporary literature as well as its modern history. Included in the talk is his introduction of the novel “Sayonara, Gyangutachi”. We hope the audience will enjoy the intellectual discoveries. The talk will be delivered in Japanese with Vietnamese interpretation. Admission is free. Advanced registration is highly recommended. For more information, please call the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam at 04-3944-7419 or visit their website at www.jpf.org.vn

For inquiries on the event and the interview with Mr. Takahashi Genichiro

Ms. Nha (Ext. 115) / Mr. Kawai (Ext.109) / Mr. Quan (Nhã Nam) [email protected] The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam 27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam TEL 04-3944-7419 www.jpf.org.vn

Takahashi Genichiro:

A Japanese Writer’s Talk on (abc)

Time and Venues

[Hanoi] Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Monday 10 March 2014 Venue: Theater hall 5th floor, VNU - University of Social Sciences and Humanities 336 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi Registration: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam Tel: 04-39447419/ Email: [email protected]

[HCMC] Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Wednesday 12 March 2014 Venue: Room A001, University of Social Science & Humanities, HCMC 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang, District 1, HCMC Registration: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam Tel: 04-39447419/ Email: [email protected]

Organized by: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam

In Cooperation with: Nha Nam Publishing and Communications Company JSC., VNU - University of Social Sciences and Humanities Literature and Languages Division, Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City

Takahashi Genichiro

Born in 1951

Writer, Essayist Professor, International Department of Meiji Gakuin University.

Selected works Novels

 Sayonara, gyangutachi (lit. Sayonara Gangsters), 1982

 Gunzo Literary Award Winner

 Yuga de kansho-teki na Nippon-yakyuu (lit. Japanese Baseball: Elegant and Sentimental), 1988

 Mishia Yukio Prize Winner

 Nihon bungaku seisui shi (lit. The Rise and Fall of Japanese Literature), 2001

 Itoh Sei Literature Award Winner

 Sayonara kurisutofaa robin (lit. Goodbye, Christopher Robin), 2012

Tanizaki Prize Winner

Essay and Literary Criticism Collections

 Bungaku ja nai kamoshirenai shoukougun (lit. The Maybe-It's-Not-Literature Syndrome), 1992  Ichioku sansenman nin no tame no shousetsu kyouiku (lit. Novel Writing Class for 130 Million People), 2002  Nippon no shousetsu: hyakunen no kodoku (lit. The Japanese Novel: One Hundred Years of Solitude), 2007  Ju-san hiai de 'meibun' wo kakeru you ni naru houhou (lit. How to Write a 'Famous Novel' in 13 Days), 2009