Kenzaburō Ōe

Author profile

born

in Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture, Japan

January 31, 1935

gender

male

genre

Literature & Fiction

influences

Mark Twain, Selma Lagerlöf, William Blake, Jean-Paul Sartre, Hikari Ōe

About this author

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Kenzaburō Ōe (大江健三郎), is a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, engage with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.

Ōe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994 for creating "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today."

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Kenzaburō Ōe's Books

Average rating: 3.81 · 7,692 ratings · 722 reviews · 104 distinct works · Similar authors

	A Personal Matter by Kenzaburō Ōe, John Nathan (Translator) 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 3,012 ratings — published 1964 — 36 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburō Ōe, Paul St. John Mackintosh (Translator), Maki Sugiyama (Translator) 3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 1,178 ratings — published 1958 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Silent Cry by Kenzaburō Ōe, John Bester (translator) 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 862 ratings — published 1967 — 24 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness: Four Short Novels by Kenzaburō Ōe, John Nathan (Translator) 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 710 ratings — published 1966 — 14 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Quiet Life by Kenzaburō Ōe, Kunioki Yanagishita (Translator), William Wetherall (Translator) 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 345 ratings — published 1990 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Changeling by Kenzaburō Ōe, Deborah Boehm (translator) 3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 avg rating — 227 ratings — published 2000 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rouse Up, O Young Men of the New Age! 3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 223 ratings — published 1983 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Seventeen & J by Kenzaburō Ōe, Luk Van Haute (Translator), Masao Miyoshi (Introduction) 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 151 ratings — published 1996 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hiroshima Notes by Kenzaburō Ōe, David L. Swain (Translator), Toshi Yonezawa (Translator) 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 139 ratings — published 1965 — 7 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Somersault by Kenzaburō Ōe, Philip Gabriel (translator) 3.27 of 5 stars 3.27 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 1999 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Kenzaburō Ōe…

Series by Kenzaburō Ōe

Moeagaru midori no ki (2 books)
by Kenzaburō Ōe
4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings

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Quotes by Kenzaburō Ōe

“The dead can survive as part of the lives of those that still live.”
― Kenzaburō Ōe, Hiroshima Notes

tags: death

13 people liked it

“Understanding comes hard to persons of high rank who are accustomed to phony lifestyles that involve no daily work.”
― Kenzaburō Ōe, Hiroshima Notes

tags: morals, society, understanding, work

7 people liked it

“It takes a person of great care and insight to watch for any abnormality in the green grass even while it grows abundantly and healthily.”
― Kenzaburō Ōe, Hiroshima Notes

tags: insight

6 people liked it

See all Kenzaburō Ōe's quotes »

Polls

What book would you like to be our book discussion for April 2013? Please click on the book to select your choice.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

12 votes, 26.1%

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

8 votes, 17.4%

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

7 votes, 15.2%

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

7 votes, 15.2%

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

4 votes, 8.7%

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

3 votes, 6.5%

The Changeling by Kenzaburō Ōe

2 votes, 4.3%

Naermyth by Karen Francisco

2 votes, 4.3%

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

1 vote, 2.2%

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

0 votes, 0.0%

46 total votes

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