Makoto Ōoka (大岡 信, Ōoka Makoto, February 16, 1931, in Mishima, Shizuoka – April 5, 2017)[1] was a Japanese poet and literary critic. He pioneered the collaborative poetic form renshi in the 1990s,[2][3] in which he has collaborated with such well-known literary figures as Charles Tomlinson, James Lasdun, Joseph Stanton, Shuntarō Tanikawa and Mikirō Sasaki.[4]
Makoto Ōoka | |
|---|---|
 A view of Ooka Makoto Kotoba Museum | |
| Native name | 大岡 信 |
| Born | February 16, 1931 Mishima, Shizuoka |
| Died | April 5, 2017 (aged 86) |
| Occupation | Poet and literary critic |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Literary movement | Renshi |
| Notable works | The Japanese and Mt. Fuji, Uta no saijiki, A Play of Mirrors: Eight Major Poets of Modern Japan |
| Notable awards | Cultural Prize of the Municipality of Tokyo, Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Japan Academy of the Arts Prize for poetry and criticism |
Asahi Shimbun
editŌoka's poetry column was published without a break seven days a week for more than 20 years on the front page of Asahi Shimbun, which is Japan's leading national newspaper.[5]
- 1993: Cultural Prize of the Municipality of Tokyo
- 1993: Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
- 1995: Japan Academy of the Arts Prize for poetry and criticism
- 1996: Asahi Prize
- 1996: Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia
- 1997: Cultural Merit Award
- 2002: Japan Foundation Award[3]
Bibliography
edit- The Japanese and Mt. Fuji (Tokyo: Graphic-sha, 1984)
- Uta no saijiki (Gakushu Kenkyusha, 1985)
- A Play of Mirrors: Eight Major Poets of Modern Japan (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1987)
- The World of Sam Francis (Ogawa Art Foundation, 1987)
- A String Around Autumn = Aki O Tatamu Himo: Selected Poems, 1952–1980 (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1988)
- Gustave Moreau Caste of Dreams (Tokyo: Parco, 1988)
- Elegy and the Benediction: Selected Poems 1947–1989 (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1991)
- The Colors of Poetry: Essays on Classic Japanese Verse (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1991. Co-authors: Thomas Fitzsimmons, Donald Keene, Takako Lento, Thomas Lento)
- A Poet's Anthology: The Range of Japanese Poetry (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1994. Translated into English by Janine Beichman)
- What the Kite Thinks: A Linked Poem, by Makoto Ōoka, Wing Tek Lum, Joseph Stanton, and Jean Yamasaki Toyama (Manoa: University of Hawaii Press, 1994)
- Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets (Hawaii: Univ of Hawaii Press, 1995. With Tsujii Takashi)
- The Poetry and Poetics of Ancient Japan (Santa Fe: Katydid Books, 1997. Translated into English by Thomas Fitzsimmons)
- Dans l'océan du silence (Paris: Voix d'encre, 1998. Translated into French by Dominique Palmé)
- Oriori no Uta: Poems for all seasons (Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2000. Translated into English by Janine Beichman)
- Love Songs from the Man'yoshu: Selections from a Japanese Classic (Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2000)
- Voix d'Argile: Fance Franck (Paris: Bayle a Montelimar, 2001)
Notes
edit- ^ Welcome to Japanese Poetry, Poetry International, 2006 ()
- ^ a b Profile of Makoto Ooka Archived 2013-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Innovative Japan poet bags Japan Foundation prize
- ^ Tomlinson, Charles, Makoto Ooka, James Lasdun, Hiroshi Kawasaki and Mikiro Sasaki. An extract from Departing Swallows, in Journal of Renga & Renku, issue 2, 2012. p162
- ^ Honan, William H. "Why Millions in Japan Read All About Poetry", New York Times. March 6, 2000.
External links
edit- Makoto Ooka, Poetry International