Shūsaku Endō facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shūsaku Endō
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Endō in 1954
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| Native name |
遠藤 周作
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| Born | March 27, 1923 Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
| Died | September 29, 1996 (aged 73) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Keio University |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Literary movement | "Third Generation" |
| Notable works | Silence (1966) |
| Spouse |
Junko Endō
(m. 1955) |
Shūsaku Endō (遠藤 周作, Endō Shūsaku, March 27, 1923 – September 29, 1996) was a famous Japanese author. He was special because he wrote from the viewpoint of a Japanese Catholic. This was not common in Japan.
Around the world, he is best known for his 1966 novel called Silence. This book is a historical story. It was even made into a movie in 2016 by director Martin Scorsese.
Endō won many important writing awards. These include the Akutagawa Prize and the Order of Culture. He was also honored by Pope Paul VI for his work. He was part of a group of writers called the "Third Generation". These writers became famous after World War II.
Contents
About Shūsaku Endō
Early Life and Family
Shūsaku Endō was born in Tokyo in 1923. Soon after, his family moved to Dairen, a city in Manchuria. When his parents divorced in 1933, Endō's mother brought him back to Japan. They lived with an aunt in Kobe.
Endō became a Catholic when he was 11 or 12 years old, in 1934. Some people say his mother, who also became Catholic, influenced him. Others say his aunt helped him decide.
Education and War Years
Endō first went to Waseda University to study medicine. But he later changed his mind. He decided to study literature at Keio University instead. His studies were stopped by World War II. During the war, he worked in a factory that made weapons. He also wrote for literary magazines. Later, in 1968, he became the main editor of one of these magazines, Mita Bungaku.
Endō was one of the first Japanese university students to study in France. He studied at the University of Lyon from 1950 to 1953. This time helped him learn a lot about French Catholic writers. They greatly influenced his own writing.
Becoming a Successful Writer
When he came back to Japan, he quickly became a successful writer. In 1954, just one year after studying in France, he won the Akutagawa Prize. He won it for his book Shiroi Hito (White Men).
Endō married Junko Okada in 1955. They had a son named Ryūnosuke in 1956.
Endō also taught at two universities in Tokyo. He was an instructor at Sophia University in 1956. In 1967, he taught about novels at Seijo University. But he was mostly known as a novelist, not a professor.
Health Challenges and Later Life
Endō had many health problems throughout his life. He even spent two years in the hospital at one point. In 1952, while studying in France, he got a lung illness called pleurisy. He got it again in 1960. He stayed in hospitals in France and Japan for almost three years. He also had tuberculosis and had a lung removed.
In 1994, he did not win the Nobel Prize in Literature. But the next year, he received the Order of Culture, a very high honor in Japan. Endō passed away soon after, on September 29, 1996. He died from problems related to hepatitis at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo.
Endō's Writing Style and Themes
Endō wrote in different styles, but his work is strongly connected to Christianity and Catholicism. People often call him a "Japanese Catholic author." He tried to show how Christianity could fit into Japanese culture. He often compared Japan to a "mudswamp." He meant that Japan's culture could make Christian beliefs less strong.
In his famous novel Silence, a character says, "Father, it was not by us that you were defeated, but by this mudswamp, Japan." This shows how Endō felt about the challenges of faith in Japan. Many of his characters are like symbols, representing ideas or beliefs.
Sometimes, his ideas were not fully accepted by other Christians. Some of his characters might even mention non-Western religions. He also wrote about "Kakure Kirishitans," who were hidden Christians in Japan.
His books often show his own childhood experiences. These include feeling like an outsider or a foreigner. He also wrote about being a hospital patient and struggling with illness. But most importantly, his books explore difficult moral questions.
His Catholic faith is present in all his books. It is often a main part of the story. His characters often face tough moral choices. Their decisions can lead to mixed or sad results.
Endō's work is often compared to that of Graham Greene, another famous writer. They both admired each other's work. Greene even called Endō one of the best writers alive. Endō reportedly re-read Greene's novel The End of the Affair before starting his own new books.
Some of Endō's Works
- To Aden (1954): Published in a literary magazine.
- White Man (1955)
- Yellow Man (1955): A short novel about a young man who is no longer a practicing Catholic.
- The Sea and Poison (1957): This novel is set in a hospital during World War II. It is about medical experiments on American airmen. It was made into a movie in 1986.
- Wonderful Fool (1959): A story about a kind and innocent Frenchman visiting Tokyo after the war. He changes everyone he meets for the better.
- Stained Glass Elegies (1959)
- Volcano (1960): A novel about three people who are struggling.
- The Girl I Left Behind (1964): A story about a young man and his relationship with an innocent young woman.
- Foreign Studies (1965): Three stories that show the differences between Eastern and Western cultures. They describe how Japanese students feel lost in Europe.
- Silence (1966): This is Endō's most famous book. It won the Tanizaki Prize. It tells the story of a Catholic priest in 17th-century Japan. He gives up his faith to save others, but secretly keeps it. This book inspired several movies.
- The Golden Country (1966): A play with characters from the novel Silence.
- Kuronbō (1971): A story inspired by Yasuke, an African man who served a Japanese lord in the 1500s.
- Life of Jesus (1973)
- When I Whistle (1974)
- Iron Collar - The Story of Konishi Yukinaga (1977): A biography of Konishi Yukinaga, a Christian warrior caught between his faith and his anti-Christian leader.
- Marie Antoinette (1979): This book inspired a musical.
- The Samurai (1980): A historical novel about a Japanese mission to Mexico and Spain in the 1600s.
- Kiku's Prayer (1982): A novel set during the time when Christians were persecuted in Japan in the 1860s.
- Sachiko (1982): A novel set in Nagasaki between 1930 and 1945. It is about two young people and their Catholic faith during a difficult time.
- Deep River (1993): Set in India, this book follows a group of Japanese tourists. They face many moral and spiritual challenges.
- The Final Martyrs (2008): A collection of eleven short stories.
Awards and Honors
- 1955: Akutagawa Prize for White Men
- 1966: Tanizaki Prize for Silence
- 1971: Order of St. Sylvester (from the Pope)
- 1980: Noma Literary Prize for Samurai
- 1995: Order of Culture (a very high honor in Japan)
Museum
The Syusaku Endo Literature Museum is in Sotome, Nagasaki. It is a museum dedicated to Endō's life and his many works.
See also
In Spanish: Shūsaku Endō para niños
- Van C. Gessel (translator of Endō's works)
- Catholic Church in Japan
