Biography
Endō Shūsaku, (born March 27, 1923, Tokyo, Japan—died Sept. 29, 1996, Tokyo), Japanese novelist noted for his examination of the relationship between East and West through a Christian perspective.
Endō became a Roman Catholic at age 11 with the encouragement of his mother and an aunt. At Keio University he majored in French literature (B.A., 1949), a subject he studied from 1950 to 1953 at the University of Lyon in France. His first collections of fiction, Shiroi hito and Kiiroi hito (both 1955; “White Man” and “Yellow Man”), indicate the direction of most of his later fiction: they contrast Japanese and Western experience and perspectives. In Umi to dokuyaku (1957; The Sea and Poison), he examines the Japanese sense of morality in a war story about Japanese doctors performing a vivisection on a downed American pilot. One of Endō’s most powerful novels, Chimmoku (1966; Silence), is a fictionalized account of Portuguese priests who traveled to Japan and the subsequent slaughter of their Japanese converts. This novel and Samurai (1980; The Samurai)—a fascinating account of a samurai’s journey on behalf of his shogun to open trade with Mexico, Spain, and Rome—are considered his best writing, showing the complexities of the interactions between cultures as well as presenting a supple and well-told narrative.
Endō’s other extended fiction includes Kazan (1959; Volcano), Kuchibue o fuku toki (1974; When I Whistle), Sukyandaru (1986; Scandal), and a number of comic novels. He also wrote short stories, drama, essays, and a biography.
Filmography
all 16
Movies 14
Writer 12
TV Shows 2
Silence (2016)
To Love (1997)
Deep River (1995)
Voice from the Dark (1983)
Silence (1971)
A Life of Jesus
Information
Known ForWriting
GenderMale
Birthday1923-03-27
Deathday1996-09-29 (73 years old)
Birth PlaceToshima City, Tokyo, Japan
ReligionCatholic Church
ChildrenRyūnosuke Endō
FatherTsunehisa Endō
CitizenshipsJapan
AwardsShinchosha literature award, Japan Art Academy Prize, Person of Cultural Merit, Tanizaki Prize, Order of St. Sylvester, Order of Culture, Akutagawa Prize
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