Donald Keene Center Special Lecture Series: Anthologies and Awards: Publishing History and Modern Japanese Literature

April 7, 2005

Donald Keene Center Special Lecture Series
Anthologies and Awards: Publishing History and Modern Japanese Literature
Ted Mack (Assistant Professor, University of Washington)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. and Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

The publishing industry played a pivotal role in the construction of modern Japanese literature. Two of the central mechanisms through which the industry exerted influence over the social conception and position of literature — and continues to exert influence — are the anthology and the literary award. Kaizôsha’s Complete Works of Contemporary Japanese Literature, published between 1926 and 1931, and the Akutagawa Prize for literature offer key illustrations of how individuals have shaped the course of literary production and reception in modern Japan.