Endō, Shūsaku, 1923-1996

Shusaku Endo was born in Tokyo on March 27, 1923. While he was still a child, his mother converted to Catholicism and upon his baptism at age 12 he was given the Christian name of Paul. Following World War II, Endo studied French literature at the University of Lyon, France, but returned to Japan after three years due to illness. After his return to health, he decided to pursue a career as a writer, publishing his first novel, Shiroi hito, in 1955. Much of Endo's work arises from his Catholic faith and the moral dilemmas encountered in its practice. Endo was given many honors for his writing, including the 1955 Akutagawa Prize for Shiroi hito (White person) and the 1966 Tanizaki Prize for Chinmoku (Silence). He was a member of the Japan Art Academy (Nihon Geijutsuin). Shusaku Endo died on Sept. 29, 1996.

From the description of The Endo-Owen collection, circa 1981-1986. (Georgetown University). WorldCat record id: 81257366