Shusaku Endo

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Shūsaku Endō (遠藤周作 Endō Shusaku, March 27, 1923—September 29, 1996) was a renowned 20th Century Japanese author who wrote from the unique perspective of being both Japanese and Catholic (The population of Christians in Japan is still less than 1%). Together with Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Shotaro Yasuoka, Junzo Shono, Hiroyuki Agawa, Ayako Sono, and Shumon Miura, Endo is categorized as one of the "Third Generation", the third major group of writers who appeared after the Second World War.

Born in Tokyo in 1923, his parents moved shortly after to live in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. When his parents divorced in 1933, Endo and his mother returned to Japan to live in his mother's hometown of Kobe. His mother converted when he was a small child, and raised the young Endo as a Catholic. Endo was baptized in 1935 at the age of 12, and given the Christian name of Paul.

Endo studied French literature at the University of Lyon from 1950 to 1953.

His books reflect many of his childhood experiences. These include the stigma of being an outsider, the experience of being a foreigner, the life of a hospital patient, and the struggle with tuberculosis. However, his books mainly deal with the moral fabric of life. His Catholic faith can be seen at some level in all of his books, and it is often a central feature. Most of his characters struggle with complex moral dilemmas, and their choices often produce mixed or tragic results. In this his work is often compared to that of Graham Greene. In fact, Greene has personally labeled Endo one of the finest writers of the 20th century.

[edit] Bibliography

White Man (1955)
Yellow Man (1955)
The Sea and Poison (1958): Set largely in a Fukuoka hospital, during World War II, this novel is concerned with lethal vivisections carried out on downed American airmen. It is told from the first-person point of view of one of the doctors, and the third-person perspective of his colleagues who cut open, experiment on, and kill the six crew members. This is based on a true incident. It was made into the 1986 movie Umi to dokuyaku, directed by Kei Kumai and starring Eiji Okuda and Ken Watanabe.
Wonderful Fool (1959): A story about a kind, innocent but naive Frenchman visiting post-war Tokyo.
Volcano (1960)
The Girl I Left Behind (1963)
Foreign Studies (1965)
Silence (1966): Endo's most famous work, generally regarded as his masterpiece; it is a historical novel, telling the story of a Portuguese missionary in early 17th century Japan who becomes an apostate, but only in formality, the Christian faith is kept private from then on by the protagonist.
The Golden Country (1970)
Upon The Dead Sea (1973)
A Life of Jesus (1973)
When I Whistle (1974)
The Samurai (1980): A historical novel, relating the diplomatic mission of Hasekura Tsunenaga to Mexico and Europe in the 17th century.
Scandal (1986): Set in Tokyo, the book is about a novelist who finds himself caught up in the scandal of the title.
Deep River (1993): Set in India, it chronicles the physical and spiritual journey of a group of Japanese tourists who are facing a wide range of moral and spiritual dilemmas in their respective lives.