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Taku Mayumura

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Taku Mayumura (眉村 卓 Mayumura Taku, 20 October 1934 - ) is a Japanese novelist, science fiction writer, haiku poet. He won the Seiun Award for Novel twice. In 2004 his Shiseikan (司政官, Administrator, one story of the "Shiseikan series"), written in 1974, was translated into English.[1]. Mayumura is also a young adult fiction writer whose works have been adapted into TV drama, film, and anime. Mayumura is a honorary member of the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan).

Biography

Mayumura was born as Murakami Takuji (村上 卓児), at Osaka city, Osaka prefecture in 1934. He graduated from Osaka University in 1957 with a degree in economics, as well as a judo competition career at the Nanatei league. After graduation, he joined a company. While working at this company, he wrote short novels and submitted them to contests in commercial literary magazines.

In 1960, he joined the SF fanzine Uchuujin. In 1961, he won the Best Story prize in the 1st Kōsō-Kagaku Shōsetsu Contest (later the Hayakawa SF Contest) for his novel Kakyū Idea-Man and made debut in the S-F Magazine by this work.

In 1963, he retired from the company and started working as an independent writer. Mayumura's first book, the SF novel Moeru Keisha (燃える傾斜), was published by Touto Shobo in the same year. In 1979, he won the seventh Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature (JA) and the Seiun Award for his novel Shoumetsu no Kourin, which is the representative work in his Shiseikan series. In 1996, he won his second Seiun Award for another entry in the Shiseikan series, the long novel Hikishio no Toki.

As a literary theorist, he advocated the Insider Bungaku-ron (Theory of Literature by Insiders).[1] Consistent with this theme, his novels frequently tackle the issues of problematic relations between individuals and the corporate or bureaucratic organizations to which they belong.

Mayumura is also a well-known young adult fiction writer. His representative works in this field are Nazo no Tenkousei and Nerawareta Gakuen etc. These works were adapted into TV Drama series by NHK, and adapted into Cinema too. Other juvenile fictions by Mayumura were adapted into the anime Toki no Tabibito.

In 2002, his wife died of cancer. Mayumura had been writing a very short story every day for his wife, who was in the hospital bedridden since the cancer had been diagnosed. When his stories, which were written each day and numbered, reached to 1778, his wife died. These stories were compiled and published. The film Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari, based on this true story, was filmed in 2009 and released in 2011.

As of 2011, Mayumura is a professor of the Graduate School of Osaka University of Arts .

Haiku poetry

Mayumura is also a haiku poet. He was a member of the haiku club in his high school. He posted his haiku work to the haiku coterie magazine Ashibu (馬酔木) which Shūōshi Mizuhara (JA) presided over. Mayumura has been a coterie membera of the haiku magazine "Uzu" (渦). In 2009, he published a Haiku book "Kiri wo yuku" (霧を行く).

Awards

Works in English translation

  • Administrator (Kurodahan Press, 2004)[2]
  • "Fnifmum" (The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories, Dembner Books, 1989 / Barricade Books, 1997)
  • "I'll Get Rid of Your Discontent" (Speculative Japan, Kurodahan Press, 2007)[3]

Works

Novels

Novels and Collections of novelettes and short stories, or Collection of short short stories.
  • Moeru Keisha (燃える傾斜) 1963, Touto Shobou
  • Gen'ei no Kousei (幻影の構成) 1966, Hayakawa Shobou
  • EXPO' 87 (EXPO' 87) 1968, Hayakawa Shobou
  • Wa ga Sexoid (わがセクソイド) 1969, Rippu Shobou
  • Techunit (テキュニット) 1969, San'ichi Shobou
  • Jun B-kyu Shimin (準B級市民) 1966, Hayakawa Publishing, Hayakawa SF Series
  • Bankokuhaku ga Yattekuru (万国博がやってくる) 1968, Hayakawa Publishing, Hayakawa SF Series
  • Niji wa Kieta (虹は消えた) 1969, Hayakawa Publishing, Hayakawa SF Series
  • Toki no Odysseus (時のオデュセウス) 1971, Hayakawa Publishing, Hayakawa SF Series
  • C-seki no Kyaku (C席の客) 1971, Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha, 1973, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Karera no naka no Umi (かれらの中の海) 1973, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Kiga Rettou (飢餓列島) 1974, Hayakawa Publishing, (collaboration with Masami Fukushima)
  • Salon wa Owatta (サロンは終わった) 1974, Hayakawa Bunko JA
  • Shiseikan (司政官) 1974, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Ano Shinju-iro no Asa wo... (あの真珠色の朝を…) 1974, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Kimyouna Tsuma (奇妙な妻) 1975, Hayakawa Publishing, 1978 Kadokawa Bunko
  • Ikyō Henge (異郷変化) 1976, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Nubatama no... (ぬばたまの…) 1978, Koudansha
  • Shōmetsu no Kōrin (消滅の光輪) 1979, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Bokutachi no Pocket (ぼくたちのポケット) 1980, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Nagai Akatsuki (長い暁) 1980, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Pocket no ABC (ポケットのABC) 1982, Kadokawa Shoten
  • Pocket no XYZ (ポケットのXYZ) 1982, Kadokawa Shoten
  • Futsuu no Kazoku (ふつうの家族) 1984, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Meikyū Monogatari (迷宮物語) 1986, Kadokawa Shoten
  • Futeiki Esper (不定期エスパー) 1-8, 1988-1990, Tokuma Shoten
  • Hikishio no Toki (引き潮のとき) 1-5, 1988-1995 Hayakawa Publishing
  • Wonder tea Room (ワンダー・ティー・ルーム) 1992, Jitsugyō no nihon
  • Tsuma ni Sasageta 1778-wa (妻に捧げた1778話) 2004
etc.

Shiseikan series

The Shiseikan (Administrator) series is summarized as follows: In the distant future, the humans of Earth constitute the Terrestrial Federation; the Terrestrial humans have spread far across outer space and colonized numerous planets and solar systems. The Federation established local governments on those planets to establish law and order among the human settlers, and to mediate between Terrestrials and the sapient aliens who had been originally born, evolved and lived on certain of these planets before the settlers arrived. In the early period, the planets had been ruled by Federation-aligned military juntas; however, the Federation has begun to recall the military administrations and send civilian administrators to govern on their behalf. The troubles faced by these administrators constitute the stories of Shiseikan.

  • Shiseikan (司政官}, Administrators) 1974, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Shoumesu no Kourin (消滅の光輪) 1979, Hayakawa Publishing, Seiun Award 1979
  • Nagai Akatsuki (長い暁) 1980, Hayakawa Publishing
  • Hikishio no Toki (引き潮のとき) 1996, Hayakawa Publishing, Seiun Award 1996

Young adult fiction

  • Tensai wa Tsukurareru (天才はつくられる) 1968
  • Maboroshi no Pen Friend (まぼろしのペンフレンド) 1970, 2006
  • Nazo no Tenkousei (なぞの転校生) 1972, 2004
  • Nejireta Machi (ねじれた町) 1974, 2005
  • Sangyou Shikan Kouhosei (産業士官候補生) 1974
  • Jigoku no Sainou (地獄の才能) 1975
  • Neraweareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1976, 2003
  • Omoiagari no Natsu (思いあがりの夏) 1977, Kadokawa Bunko (including Nagori no Yuki 名残の雪)
  • Tozasareta Jikanwari (閉ざされた時間割) 1977
  • Naitara Shi ga Kuru (泣いたら死がくる) 1977
  • Shiroi Futoushiki (白い不等式) 1978
  • Tsukurareta Asu (つくられた明日) 1980
  • Toraerareta School Bus (とらえられたスクールバス)) 1981-1983 Kadokawa Bunko, (New title: Toki no Tabibito (時空の旅人)
  • Shiirareta Henshin (強いられた変身) 1988

Historical story

  • Cartago no Unmei (カルタゴの運命) 1998, Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha

Others or uncertain

  • Chikyuu e no Tooi Michi (地球への遠い道) 1970, Mainichi Shinbunsha
  • Nijuu-Yo Jikan no Sinnyuusha (二十四時間の侵入者) 1974, Akimoto
  • Waru-nori Ryokou (ワルのり旅行) 1975, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Shin'ya Housou no Happening (深夜放送のハプニング) 1977, Akimoto
  • Mooretsu Kyoushi (猛烈教師) 1977
  • Shiroi Kobako (白い小箱) 1977, Jitsugyou no Nihon
  • Toorisugita Yatsu (通りすぎた奴) 1977, Ruppu Shobo
  • Henna Otoko (変な男) 1978, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Oshaberi Meiro (おしゃべり迷路) 1979, Kadokawa Shoten
  • Gekkou no Sasu Basho (月光のさす場所) 1980
  • Katamuita Chiheisen (傾いた地平線) 1981, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Sorezore no Mgarikado (それぞれの曲がり角) 1986, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Yuuyake no Kaiten Mokuba (夕焼けの回転木馬) 1986, Kadokawa Bunko
  • Niji no Uragawa (虹の裏側) 1994, Shuppan Geijutsusha
etc.

Essays

  • Giyaman to Kikai (ぎやまんと機械) 1977, PHP Kenkyusho

Haiku poetry

  • Kiri wo Yuku (霧を行く) 2009

Works adapted into TV drama

  • Maboroshi no Pen Friend (まぼろしのペンフレンド) 1974, 2001
  • Nazo no Tenkousei (なぞの転校生) 1975
  • Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1977, 1982, 1987, 1997
  • Jigoku no Sainou (地獄の才能) 1977
  • Nagori no Yuki (名残の雪) 1977, 1994

Works adapted into cinema film

  • Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1981 (Director: (大林宣彦)), 1997 (Director: (清水厚))
  • Nazo no Tenkousei (なぞの転校生) 1998 (Director: (小中和哉))
  • Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari (僕と妻の1778の物語) based on his life episode and short stories.

Works adapted into anime film

Notes

  1. ^ Mayumura considered that literature was traditionally created by, and written from the viewpoint of, artists who stood outside of the common society; in contrast, his literary theories insisted on the necessity of the "insider", of literature written from the common man's point of view.
  2. ^ Administrator | Kurodahan Press
  3. ^ Speculative Japan | Kurodahan Press

References

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