The Third Generation of postwar writers (daisan no shinjin) is a term coined by literary critic Yamamoto Kenkichi (1907–88) to refer to a cohort of novelists making their debut on the literary scene between 1953 and 1955. Unlike the post–World War I writers (First Generation) and post–World War II writers (Second Generation) who tended to write full-length novels modeled after the European style, Third Generation writers largely turned back to the prewar mainstream genres of the I-Novel and the short story, focusing on depictions of everyday life. Representative members of the group include Yasuoka Shotaro, Sono Ayako, Shono Junzo, and Endo Shusaku.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.