Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, writer of poetic fiction, dies
Last updated on: 14 March,2023 12:35 pm
His most searing works were influenced by the birth of Oe’s mentally disabled son in 1963.
TOKYO (AP) — Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe, whose darkly poetic novels were built from his childhood memories during Japan’s postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son, has died. He was 88.
Oe, who was also an outspoken anti-nuclear and peace activist, died on March 3, his publisher, Kodansha Ltd., said in a statement Monday. The publisher did not give further details about his death and said his funeral was held by his family.
Oe in 1994 became the second Japanese author awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.
The Swedish Academy cited the author for his works of fiction, in which “poetic force creates an imagined world where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.”
His most searing works were influenced by the birth of Oe’s mentally disabled son in 1963.
“A Personal Matter,” published a year later, is the story of a father coming to terms through darkness and pain with the birth of a brain-damaged son. Several of his later works have a damaged or deformed child with symbolic significance, with the stories and characters evolving and maturing as Oe’s son aged.
Hikari Oe had a cranial deformity at birth that caused mental disability. He has a limited ability to speak and read but has become a musical composer whose works have been performed and recorded on albums.