Shiga Naoya

Born Feb. 20, 1883. in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture; died Oct. 21, 1971, in Tokyo. Japanese writer.

In his youth Shiga was influenced by Christianity. He joined the humanist group known as Shirakaba (White Birch). His first short story, “One Morning,” was published in 1908. Shiga’s works express sympathy for the unfortunate persons living in bourgeois society, as well as an interest in the subconscious and the secrets of the human soul. The novella Reconciliation (1917) and the short story “The Little Boy’s God in the Shop” (1918) are typical examples. The novel The Path in the Nocturnal Darkness (1921–22) is the story of a young man who, struck by the unexpected blows of fate, finds salvation through spiritual self-perfection. Shiga’s works of the postwar period include the famous short story “The Ashen Moon” (1946). Shiga’s style is marked by austerity and restraint.