Keigo Higashino facts for kids

Keigo Higashino (Japanese: 東野 圭吾, Hepburn: Higashino Keigo, born February 4, 1958) is a very popular Japanese author. He is most famous for writing thrilling mystery novels. He was also the president of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino has won many important Japanese awards for his books. Almost twenty of his books have even been made into movies and TV shows!

Early Life and Education

Keigo Higashino was born in Ikuno-ku, Osaka, a part of the city of Osaka in Japan. His family name was originally read as "Tono," but his father changed it to "Higashino."

He grew up in a working-class area. This meant his childhood was sometimes difficult because his family was not wealthy. He went to Koji Elementary School, Higashi Ikuno Junior High School, and Hannan High School. While he was in high school, he started reading mystery fiction books.

Higashino later studied Electrical Engineering at Osaka Prefecture University. There, he became the captain of the archery club. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

Becoming a Writer

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

In 1981, he began working as an engineer at a company called Nippon Denso Co. (now DENSO). 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 the annual Edogawa Rampo Prize competition, which is for new mystery writers.

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

Famous Books and Awards

In 1998, Higashino published Himitsu (秘密, Secret). This book was made into a movie and won the 52nd Mystery Writers of Japan Award for films in 1999. Secret was later translated into English as Naoko in 2004. Higashino got the idea for the story from a book where a child remembered things from someone who had died nearby. He wanted to explore what would happen in such a situation.

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). This was a big achievement, as he had been nominated for this award five times before! Suspect X also won the 6th Honkaku Mystery Award. It was even ranked as the number-one novel by popular Japanese mystery guidebooks. The English version of Suspect X was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award and the 2012 Barry Award, which are major awards for crime novels.

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

Global Popularity

Keigo 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. These include Chinese, Thai, French, Russian, and Spanish.

His popularity has also caught the attention of university researchers. Many papers and studies about his work have been published in countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Scholars in the United States are also studying his books.

Role in Mystery Writers of Japan

Higashino was chosen as the president of the Mystery Writers of Japan (MWJ) in 2009. He served in this role until 2013. Before that, from 2002 to 2007, he was part of different committees that selected award winners for the MWJ. He also helped choose winners for the Edogawa Rampo Award from 2008 to 2013. In 2014, he became a selection member for the Naoki Prize.

After the big Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Higashino helped with relief efforts. He donated the money from selling 100,000 copies of his book The Wings of the Kirin to help the areas affected by the disaster.

Higashino prefers to avoid public attention. He likes it when people don't recognize him on the street.

Writing Style and Themes

Higashino shared in 2015 that his writing style has changed over time. In his earlier books, he focused a lot on why characters did things. But in a 2011 interview, he said he wants his "readers to be continually surprised by my 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, such as nuclear power or brain surgery. He also often includes sports, like archery, kendo, ski jumping, and snowboarding.

In Suspect X, Higashino changes the usual "whodunit" mystery style. The reader finds out who the murderer is early in the book. One writer, Andrew Joyce, said that Higashino explores how "feelings of loyalty and the oppressive weight of human relations" can cause "murder and dark pacts." Higashino believes that Japanese readers prefer this style. It allows the emotions like guilt and sadness that characters feel to become clearer towards the end of the story.

Higashino enjoys Western writers, but he feels most influenced by Japanese authors. These include Edogawa Rampo and Seicho Matsumoto. He says his work naturally has a "Japanese sense of old-fashioned loyalty and concern for human feeling." For his Western readers, Higashino hopes they "read my work and come to understand how Japanese people think, love and hate." He wants them to be impressed by his unique stories.

Books Translated into English

Novels

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)

Essay

• My Favourite Mystery: Kuroi gashū (黒い画集, The Black Art Book) by Seichō Matsumoto (Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc.)

Awards and Recognitions

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

Honors

Major Awards

• Edogawa Rampo Award: Won in 1985 for After School.
• Mystery Writers of Japan Award: Won in 1999 for the film adaptation of Secret.
• Naoki Prize: Won in 2006 for The Devotion of Suspect X.
• Honkaku Mystery Award: Won in 2006 for The Devotion of Suspect X.
• New Wind Award: Won in 2008 for Bonds of the Shooting Star.
• Chūōkōron Prize: Won in 2012 for The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.
• Shibata Renzaburo Award: Won in 2013 for Dream Flower.
• Eiji Yoshikawa Prize: Won in 2014 for The Final Curtain.
• Kikuchi Kan Prize: Won in 2023 for his overall work.

Top Mystery Rankings

• 2006: The Devotion of Suspect X was named The Best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year by Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!
• 2010: Shinzanmono (The Newcomer) was named The Best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year by Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!.
• 2012: The Devotion of Suspect X was ranked No. 13 on the Top 100 Japanese Mystery Novels of All Time.
• 2012: Journey under the Midnight Sun was ranked No. 18 on the Top 100 Japanese Mystery Novels of All Time.
• 2018: Chinmoku no Parēdo (沈黙のパレード, Silent Parade) was ranked No. 1 on the Weekly Bungeishunjū Mystery Best 10.

Movies and TV Shows Based on His Books

Many of Keigo Higashino's novels have been turned into exciting TV drama series 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 | Banghwanghaneun Kalnal (2014)
• The Big Bee | Tenku no Hachi (2015)
• Shippu Rondo (2016)
• Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Namiya Zakkaten no Kiseki (2017)
• The House Where The Mermaid Sleeps | Ningyo no Nemuru Ie (2018)
• The Crimes That Bind | Inori no Maku ga Oriru Toki (2018)
• Laplace's Witch | Rapurasu no Majo (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)

International Films

• 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, Hindi language film based on Burutasu No Shinzou)
  • Jaane Jaan (2023, Hindi Language film based on The Devotion of Suspect X)

See also

In Spanish: Keigo Higashino para niños

• Japanese detective fiction