Reborn Japan for entertainment

Chapter 208 Akutagawa Award

"Eh? Akutagawa Prize? What kind of prize?"

Although Uncle Ishida was very excited, Kiyoshi Sakamoto's indifferent reaction was like a bucket of ice water being poured down from his head.

It was so sour, I couldn't believe it.

Excited uncle, now I know that Kiyoshi Sakamoto, a newcomer writer, has no idea what the "Akutagawa Award" is, let alone the gold content and importance of this award in the literary world.

The uncle who was hit by Kiyoshi Sakamoto's reaction had no choice but to give the chief academic master of Tokyo University the Akutagawa Award for science popularization.

The Akutagawa Award, the full name is the Akutagawa Ryunosuke Award.

It was proposed by Hiroshi Kikuchi in 1935 to commemorate the literary award of Akutagawa Ryunosuke, the great writer of the Taisho era in Japan.

Selections have been held twice a year since 1935.

分为上下半年，上半年度（12月1日～5月31日之前公开发表的作品）是在7月中旬进行选拔、8月中旬颁奖，刊载于《文艺春秋》9月号。

下半年度（6月1日～11月30日之前公开发表的作品）是在翌年1月中旬进行选拔、同年2月中旬颁奖，在《文艺春秋》3月号刊载。

As Japan's three major literary awards, the Akutagawa Award and the Naoki Award are awards that all writers hope to win.

Among them, the Akutagawa Award is the representative award of the Pure Literature Award, while the Naoki Award is the representative award of popular literature; the Akutagawa Award aims to encourage new writers, and the Naoki Award is an affirmation of honor given to published popular literature writers.

This is one of the reasons why Kiyoshi Sakamoto's "Golden Dreamland" was shortlisted for the Akutagawa Award in the first half of 2006.

Because, Kiyoshi Sakamoto, whose pen name is "leisure", is undoubtedly a newcomer writer who can't be newer.

Moreover, as the first novel, Kiyoshi Sakamoto, who invested in Wenyichunqiu Publishing House, Wenyichunqiu is also natural, and has a sense of intimacy with this newcomer writer who does not know his gender or age.

Therefore, this is one of the reasons why Kiyoshi Sakamoto's "Golden Dreamland" was shortlisted for the Akutagawa Award in the first half of the year.

After all, the organizer of the Akutagawa Award is the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Literature within Bungeishunju Publishing House.

Bungeishunju Publishing House and Japan Literature Promotion Association are like twins, almost indistinguishable from each other. After all, both were founded by Hiroshi Kikuchi.

In fact, Kiyoshi Sakamoto's novel was published on the June [-]st issue of Wenyichunqiu.

However, the selection period for the first half of the Akutagawa Award is between December 12st and May 1st, that is to say, Kiyoshi Sakamoto's "Golden Dreamland" was not included in the works published in the first half of the year. There was no Akutagawa Award shortlisted for the first half of the year.

Even if he was shortlisted, he would be shortlisted for the Akutagawa Award in the second half of the year.

But that's where the fun comes in.

Putting Kiyoshi Sakamoto's novel into the shortlist for the Akutagawa Award in the first half of the year was recommended by the editor-in-chief of Wenyichunqiu Publishing House and all the editors of the Mystery Fiction Department.

As a novel that is different from Keigo Higashino, it often makes people feel a chill down the spine, and the malice of the characters in the work often makes people shudder. After Sakamoto Kiyoshi's "Golden Dreamland" still retains the original The author Kotaro Isaka, even amidst thousands of malicious murderous intentions, there is a ray of warm light piercing the darkness, making people feel that there is always a warm style of hope.

This is also an excellent work that has made the reasoning editors of Wenyi Chunqiu feel relieved in recent years.

Moreover, the writer who wrote such a work is actually a newcomer who has never heard of his name.

This made the editors of the reasoning department love talents, eager to let more people see this excellent reasoning novel.

Therefore, under the strong recommendation of the editors of the reasoning department and the decision of the editor-in-chief, Kiyoshi Sakamoto's "Golden Dreamland" was included in the selection list for the Akutagawa Award in the first half of the year.

However, holding on to such an excellent work, the reasoning editors who were buried, never thought that "Golden Dreamland" would smoothly enter the final waiting list for the award when it was selected.

Although I know that the writing style and content of this work are all excellent, but for the first work of a new writer, it was shortlisted for the Akutagawa Award, which still makes the editors of Wenyichunqiu who recommended "Golden Dreamland" feel a little surprised .

Although the publishing house is the literary spring and autumn, the selection method of the Akutagawa Award has almost nothing to do with them.

The selection of the Akutagawa Award does not adopt the method of open recruitment, but the candidates and winners are determined according to the agreement of the selection committee.

And these selection committees select a group of candidates from the pure literary short works published in newspapers and magazines, new writers or unknown writers, and then select the most outstanding work from them and give them awards.

The current selection committee members are well-known writers such as Natsuki Ikezawa, Taeko Kono, and Chiji Kuroi.

All of them are famous people, and they have nothing to do with Wenyichunqiu Publishing House. This is also the Japan Literature Promotion Association. For the sake of fairness and justice in the selection, these older generation writers are selected as selection committee members.

After all, the old man has reached this stage, and the most important thing is his own face, and it is impossible to do something that is not there, to tarnish his reputation. . .

After learning from Uncle Ishida that the Akutagawa Award has a status in the literary world, Kiyoshi Sakamoto felt that he might really be able to realize the plan of "copying novels so that Wenchun will not report himself"!
His plan, from the very beginning, was to find an opportunity to announce his identity as a writer after the novel was published, so that the public would know that he was the "leisure" who wrote "Golden Dreamland".

Of course, the most important thing is to let Wenyi Chunqiu know that he, the little king of Sony, is the writer "Xiao Xian".

In this case, in order not to annoy the hidden writers alliance, Chunqiu Wenyi will definitely turn a blind eye to Kiyoshi Sakamoto, who has become a member of the writers!
This was Kiyoshi Sakamoto's original plan.

However, after learning that his work had been shortlisted for the Akutagawa Award, one of the two major awards in Japanese literature, Kiyoshi Sakamoto had a new idea for this project.

"In case, I mean in case, my work can finally win this award, then..." Kiyoshi Sakamoto asked the uncle.

"Then you will definitely become a new generation of cutting-edge writers in Japan. In that case, Wenchun will definitely take care of you. After all, many Akutagawa Prize winners will become great Japanese writers in the future."

Uncle Ishida, who knew about Sakamoto Kiyoshi's plan, also directly stated what Sakamoto Kiyoshi wanted to know.

From the uncle's four words of "care is added", Kiyoshi Sakamoto knows that if he can really get this award, he will disclose his identity. In that case, the purpose of this plan will definitely be better than the original plan. The effect should be even better.

In other words, Kiyoshi Sakamoto will definitely be included in Wenchun's non-reporting list.

Even if he can't win the award, as long as he announces his identity in front of the public, it can achieve the effect that Kiyoshi Sakamoto pursues, but it's not as sensational as the announcement of his identity after winning the award.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi Sakamoto looked away from the magazine, looked at the uncle's face, and asked.

"Then when will the winner of the Akutagawa Award be selected?"

"Well, it says on it that it seems that the winners will be announced in mid-August, and then there will be a press conference and an award ceremony."

The uncle, who had read the magazine beforehand, also recalled it a little bit, and then replied.

"Is it mid-August? Is there a month left..."

Thinking that there is only one month left before he will know whether the seeds he planted two months ago can germinate, Kiyoshi Sakamoto couldn't help feeling a little nervous and apprehensive at this moment.

"It would be great if I could win an award..." At this time, the uncle seemed to be talking to himself, and Kiyoshi Sakamoto followed suit.

"Well, if you can win an award, that would be great..."

. . . . . .

In the next month, Sakamoto Kiyoshi did not sit idle just because the serialization of the novel had been completed.

As the exam week approached, he also focused a little on his review.

Of course, without reviewing, you can pass the exam casually. . .

At the same time, in Tokyo, on the first floor of the well-known restaurant "New Joy", members of the Akutagawa Award review committee are discussing the winning works of the 135th Akutagawa Award.

"I think the content of this work is very heart-warming. In terms of writing, it also allows readers to have an immersive feeling. The core of the story is also a type of emotion that the public loves. I think it is very suitable for our award. Selection criteria." A very old man with half long white hair, sitting on the top seat on the round table, expressed his opinion in a slightly deep voice.

After the old man finished speaking, another old man with a short hairstyle and a gray beard also echoed.

"I agree with Chairman Kuroi's statement. Moreover, this writer is still a newcomer, and this work is his debut. This is very valuable."

"After all, in the past few years, the winners of the Akutagawa Award have all been well-known writers, and few are newcomers or unknown writers. In this way, for the Akutagawa Award, which aims to reward newcomers and discover newcomers, it is necessary. Saying that is a great irony!"

The review meeting at this time was presided over by the white-haired old man who spoke just now, Chiji Kuroi.

Chiji Kuroi, the famous writer who just took over as the chairman of the Japan Literary Artists Association this year, liked the novel "Golden Dreamland" very much when he first saw it.

Therefore, he also strongly recommended this novel to the review committee members at the review meeting.

And another old man who echoed him was also a well-known writer, Natsuki Ikezawa, who was as famous as Haruki Murakami.

With the support of such two highly respected people, there is almost no suspense for Kiyoshi Sakamoto's "Golden Dreamland" to win the award.

(End of this chapter)