“Naoki Sanjugo and Bungei shunju”
Minggang Li, DEALL
Time and Place
Thursday, March 1st, 3:30-5:18Mendenhall Laboratory 0185
Summary of Talk: In order to clarify the important role the periodical Bungei shunju played in advancing the careers of many young writers, the life of Naoki Sanjugo will be introduced briefly, and a close reading of his works presented. This will illustrate how Bungei shunju worked to transform the bundan, and to establish the concepts of pure and popular literatures in Japan.
Naoki Sanjugo was a struggling young writer and publisher in the early 1920s when he was befriend by Kikuchi Kan. Through this connection, Naoki was able to publish in Bungei shunju, which was created by Kikuchi in 1923. However, his first attempts in serious creative writing failed. Nonetheless, in many critical essays, Naoki displayed a unique style and keen insights. The publication of these essays helped establish Naoki’s reputation, and prepared his sensational success in the late 1920s and early 1930s as a popular writer. The writings of Naoki helped render Bungei shunju a refreshing, interesting, and relaxing literary magazine. These works also helped to rapidly expand the magazine’s middleclass readership.
The career of Naoki Sanjugo is intertwined with the development of Bungei shunju to such an extent that Kikuchi Kan and Bungei Shunjusha created the Naoki Prize, which became a passport to success for popular writers, to commemorate Naoki Sanjugo after his sudden and youthful death.
* Please contact Prof. Etsuyo Yuasa (yuasa.1@osu.edu) or Matthew Chudnow (chudnow.1@osu.edu) for further information regarding the DEALL Speaker Series.
