Hideo Levy
Encyclopedia
is an American
-born Japanese
Language author. He was born in California and educated in Taiwan, America, and Japan.
He gained attention in Japan for his work Seijōki no Kikoenai Heya published in 1992, which won the Noma Literary Award for New Writers
. He is one of the first Americans to write modern literature in Japanese. For his contributions to the introduction of Japanese literature to foreign readers he was honored with a Japan Foundation Special Prize in 2007.
In 1996 his story Tiananmen was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize
.
. Levy's father was a diplomat, and the family moved around between Taiwan
, Hong Kong
, Japan
and the United States. He graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies, and later received his doctorate from the same school for studying Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
.
After working as an assistant professor at Princeton, he moved to Stanford University
and taught there. He later left and moved to Tokyo.
While at Princteon, Levy studied the Man'yōshū. His English translation of the text won him the National Book Award
in 1982.
English translation: A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard, trans. Christopher D. Scott (Columbia University Press, 2011)Ten'an'mon（Koudansha 1996）Kokumin no uta（Koudansha 1998）Henrii Takeshi Rewuittsukii no natsu no kikou（Koudansha 2002）Chidi ni kudakete （Koudansha 2005 / Koudansha Bunko 2008）Kari no mizu（Koudansha 2008）
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
Language author. He was born in California and educated in Taiwan, America, and Japan.
He gained attention in Japan for his work Seijōki no Kikoenai Heya published in 1992, which won the Noma Literary Award for New Writers
Noma Literary Prize
The Noma Literary Prize was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association in accordance with the last wishes of Noma Seiji , founder and first president of the Kōdansha publishing company. The Noma Literary Prize has been awarded annually to an outstanding new work published in Japan...
. He is one of the first Americans to write modern literature in Japanese. For his contributions to the introduction of Japanese literature to foreign readers he was honored with a Japan Foundation Special Prize in 2007.
In 1996 his story Tiananmen was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
.
Biography
Levy was born in 1950 to a Polish-American mother and a Jewish father. His father named him after a friend who was imprisoned in an internment camp during World War IIWorld 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...
. Levy's father was a diplomat, and the family moved around between Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the United States. He graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies, and later received his doctorate from the same school for studying Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a Japanese poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of the poets included in the Man'yōshū, and was particularly represented in volumes 1 and 2. In Japan, he is considered one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals...
.
After working as an assistant professor at Princeton, he moved to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and taught there. He later left and moved to Tokyo.
While at Princteon, Levy studied the Man'yōshū. His English translation of the text won him the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in 1982.
Novels
Seijouki no kikoenai heya（Koudansha 1992 / Koudansha Bungei Bunko 2004）English translation: A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard, trans. Christopher D. Scott (Columbia University Press, 2011)Ten'an'mon（Koudansha 1996）Kokumin no uta（Koudansha 1998）Henrii Takeshi Rewuittsukii no natsu no kikou（Koudansha 2002）Chidi ni kudakete （Koudansha 2005 / Koudansha Bunko 2008）Kari no mizu（Koudansha 2008）
Literary Criticism and Essays
Nihongo no shouri （Koudansha 1992）Shinjuku no man'youshuu（Asahi Shinbun 1996）Aidentitiizu （Koudansha 1997）Saigo no kokkyou he no tabi（Chuou Koron Shinsha 2000）Nihongo wo kaku heya（Iwanami Shoten 2001）Wareteki chuugoku（Iwanami Shoten 2004）Eigo de yomu man'youshuu （Iwanami Shinsho 2004）Ekkyou no koe （Iwanami Shoten 2007）Enan kakumei seichi he no tabi（Koudansha 2008）- 『我的日本語 The World in Japanese』 Wareteki Nihongo: The World in Japanese (Chikuma Shobou, 2010)
Man'yōshū Scholarship
- Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism （Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
1984） - The Ten Thousand Leaves: A Translation of the Man Yoshu, Japan's Premier Anthology of Classical Poetry （Princeton Library of Asian Translations） （Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
1987） - Love Songs from the Man'yoshu （Koudansha International 2000）
- Man'yo Luster （Pie Books 2002）
Translations
- Otohiko Kaga Riding the East Wind: A Novel of War and Peace （Koudansha America 2002）
Speeches
- JF Video Square Video of acceptance speech for Japan Foundation Special Prize.
- The World in Japanese Literature Video of lecture given at Stanford University Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, February 11, 2010.
Articles
- Outsider Captures Soul of Japanese, November 19, 1992, Teresa Watanabe, LA Times
- Riding the East Wind - review of Levy's translation of novel by Otohiko Kaga