Ooka Shohei was born in Tokyo, studied French at Kyoto University, and was a literary student of Kobayashi Hideo. He translated Stendhal into Japanese and, as World War II progressed, was drafted into the army, where he was posted to the Philippines and was captured and became a prisoner of war. After the war, he began writing, and much of his work reflects his experiences during the war, including his autobiographical short story Furyoki (1948; tr. Taken Captive: A Japanese POW’s Story, 1967). His best-known novel, Nobi (1951; tr. Fires on the Plain, 1957), was awarded the Yomiuri Prize and was made into an award-winning film.
See also MILITARISM; POSTWAR LITERATURE.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.