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Palgrave Macmillan

Shibata Renzaburō and the Reinvention of Modernism in Postwar Japanese Popular Literature

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  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Artem Vorobiev

    1. The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

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  • Explores the life and work of Shibata Renzaburō
  • Investigates the postwar shift in Japanese popular culture
  • Considers the significance of samurai fiction in the postwar era

Part of the book series: East Asian Popular Culture (EAPC)

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 1-22

  3. Early Life and Formative Years

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 23-49

  4. War and Postwar Experience

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 51-83

  5. Fame: The Nemuri Kyōshirō Phenomenon

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 85-176

  6. Shibata Renzaburō’s Other Works

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 177-211

  7. Conclusion

    • Artem Vorobiev
    Pages 213-223

  8. Back Matter

    Pages 225-231
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Keywords

About this book

Shibata Renzaburō and the Reinvention of Modernism in Postwar Japanese Popular Literature explores the life and work of Shibata Renzaburō (柴田錬三郎, 1917–1978), the author of adventure and historical novels who was instrumental in reinvigorating popular Japanese literature in the postwar period. This book considers postwar Japanese society through the prism of Shibata’s writing, exploring how the postwar period under SCAP Occupation influenced Shibata’s writing and generated the extraordinary popularity of samurai fiction in the postwar era at large. Through the use of a nihilistic warrior, Nemuri Kyōshirō, and other samurai characters, Shibata Renzaburō addresses important social issues of the day, such as the trauma of defeat, postwar reconstruction, and the attending societal ills and neuroses, while keeping his literature entertaining and easy to read, which ensured its mass appeal in postwar Japan.

Reviews

“Artem Vorobiev’s study of Shibata Renzaburō is impressive in terms of its scope and relevance. The repercussions of such a study for an understanding of Japanese literature and ideology are far-reaching. Shibata’s vast body of work is overwhelmingly popular, and Artem’s study illuminates why historical fiction and Shibata’s works and their adaptations to visual media continue to exert influence on readers in Japan.” (Richard Torrance, Professor of Japansese, The Ohio State University)

Authors and Affiliations

  • The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

    Artem Vorobiev

About the author

Artem Vorobiev is Lecturer in Japanese at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at The Ohio State University, USA.

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