Keigo Higashino facts for kids

Keigo Higashino (Japanese: 東野 圭吾, Hepburn: Higashino Keigo, born February 4, 1958) is a famous Japanese writer. He is best known for his exciting mystery novels. He was even the president of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino has won many big awards in Japan for his books. Almost twenty of his books have been made into movies and TV shows.

Early Life and Education

Keigo Higashino was born in Osaka, Japan, in an area called Ikuno-ku. His family name was first read as "Tono," but his father changed it to "Higashino."

Growing up, his family faced some challenges. He went to Koji Elementary School, Higashi Ikuno Junior High School, and Hannan High School. While in high school, he started reading mystery books and loved them.

Higashino later studied Electrical Engineering at Osaka Prefecture University. He was also the captain of the archery club there. He earned a degree in engineering.

Becoming a Writer

Higashino started writing stories when he was in high school and university. He would show his handwritten stories to his friends.

In 1981, he began working as an engineer at a company called Nippon Denso Co. He also got married to a high school teacher. Even with a full-time job, he kept writing mystery novels in the evenings and on weekends. He sent his stories to a competition called the Edogawa Rampo Prize.

In 1985, when he was 27, he won the Rampo Prize for his mystery novel Hōkago (放課後, After School). This book was inspired by his time in the archery club at his university. After winning, he decided to leave his engineering job in 1986. He moved to Tokyo to become a full-time writer.

Popular Books and Awards

In 1998, Higashino published Himitsu (秘密, Secret). This book was turned into a movie and won an award in 1999. Secret was later translated into English as Naoko in 2004. Higashino got the idea for the story from a book about a child remembering someone else's life. He wanted to explore what would happen in such a situation. The book was so popular that it was made into a Japanese film in 1999 and a French film in 2007.

In 2006, Higashino won the 134th Naoki Prize for his book 'The Devotion of Suspect X (容疑者Xの献身, Yōgisha Ekkusu no Kenshin). He had been nominated for this award five times before! Suspect X also won the 6th Honkaku Mystery Award. It was even named the number-one novel by popular Japanese mystery guidebooks. The English version of Suspect X was nominated for the Edgar Award and the Barry Award in 2012.

In 2014, Higashino received the Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Prize for Inori no Maku ga Oriru Toki (祈りの幕が下りる時, When the Curtain of Prayer Descends). This was the tenth book to feature his famous detective, Kyoichiro Kaga. He thought this book might be the last in the Kaga series.

Higashino is one of the most popular authors in Asia. He is said to be the most popular novelist in China. His books, like Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint, have been translated into many languages. People in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan have even written school papers about his work.

Other Roles and Contributions

Higashino was chosen to be the president of the Mystery Writers of Japan (MWJ) in 2009. He served in this role until 2013. He also helped choose winners for various awards, including the Edogawa Rampo Award and the Naoki Prize.

After the big Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Higashino helped out. He donated the money he earned from 100,000 copies of his book 'The Wings of the Kirin (麒麟の翼, Kirin no Tsubasa) to help people in the affected areas.

Higashino likes to keep a low profile. He prefers that people don't recognize him when he's out and about.

Writing Style and Themes

Higashino has said that his writing style has changed over time. He used to focus a lot on why characters did what they did. Now, he wants his readers to always be surprised by his ideas.

Besides mystery novels, Higashino also writes essays and storybooks for children. His children's books have a different style and fewer characters than his novels. His works often include scientific ideas, like nuclear power or brain science. He also often includes sports, such as archery, kendo, ski jumping, and snowboarding.

In books like Suspect X, Higashino sometimes flips the usual mystery structure. Readers might learn who the criminal is early on. Then, the story explores how feelings like loyalty and human relationships can lead to dark secrets. Higashino believes Japanese readers enjoy this style. It helps them understand the characters' feelings and intentions as the story unfolds.

Higashino enjoys Western writers, but he feels most influenced by Japanese authors like Edogawa Rampo and Seicho Matsumoto. He says his work naturally has a "Japanese sense of old-fashioned loyalty and concern for human feeling." He hopes that when people in other countries read his books, they will understand how Japanese people think, love, and feel.

Books Translated into English

Many of Keigo Higashino's books have been translated into English. Here are some of them:

Detective Galileo Series

• The Devotion of Suspect X (2011)
• Salvation of a Saint (2012)
• A Midsummer's Equation (2016)
• Silent Parade (2021)
• Invisible Helix (2024)

Police Detective Kaga Series

• Malice (2014)
• Newcomer (2018)
• A Death in Tokyo (2022)
• The Final Curtain (2023)

Other Novels

• Naoko (2004)
• Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2015)
• The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping (2017)
• The Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2019)

Awards and Recognitions

Keigo Higashino has received many honors and awards throughout his career.

Honors

Awards

Movies and TV Shows Based on His Books

Many of Keigo Higashino's novels have been made into exciting TV shows and films.

Japanese Films

• Naoko (1999)
• g@me. (2003)
• Lakeside Murder Case (2004)
• Henshin (2005)
• Tegami (2006)
• Suspect X (2008)
• The Hovering Blade (2009)
• Into the White Night (2011)
• Yoake no Machi de (2011)
• The Wings of the Kirin (2012)
• Platinum Data (2013)
• Midsummer's Equation (2013)
• Broken (2014)
• The Big Bee (2015)
• Shippu Rondo (2016)
• Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017)
• The House Where The Mermaid Sleeps (2018)
• The Crimes That Bind (2018)
• Laplace's Witch (2018)
• Masquerade Hotel (2019)
• Parallel World Love Story (2019)
• Masquerade Night (2021)
• Silent Parade (2022)

Japanese TV Dramas

• Tokio chichi e no dengon (2004)
• Byakuyakō (2006)
• Galileo (2007 and 2008)
• Ryūsei no Kizuna (2008)
• Meitantei no Okite (2009)
• Himitsu (2010)
• Shinzanmono (2010)
• Higashino Keigo Mysteries (2012)
• Galileo II (2013)
• Dangerous Venus (2020)
• The Forbidden Magic (2022)

Films from Other Countries

• South Korean films:

* White Night (2009) * Perfect Number (2012) * Broken (2014)

• French film:

* The Secret (2007, based on Himitsu)

• Chinese film:

* Namiya (2017, based on Namiya Zakkaten no Kiseki)

• Indian films:

* Monica, O My Darling (2022, based on Burutasu No Shinzou) * Jaane Jaan (2023, based on The Devotion of Suspect X)

See also

In Spanish: Keigo Higashino para niños