What has the Akutagawa Prize valued since 2000? | The Akutagawa Prize since 2000 (Part 1)

Many people may have the image of the Akutagawa Prize as a "difficult award for pure literature."

In fact, works that challenge language and the form of the novel itself, such as "Clown's Butterfly," "ab coral," and "Tokyo Sympathy Tower," have also won the award.

However, when you look at a list of the winning works since 2000, the landscape that emerges is a little different.

The Akutagawa Prize has not simply valued esoteric literature.

It has been an award that has consistently chosen works that depict the problems faced by people living in the modern age—loneliness, family, labor, the body, and land—using the language of their respective times.
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The Akutagawa Prize by Theme

In this series, for the sake of convenience, we have classified the winning works into seven categories: Loneliness and Self-Consciousness, Family and Loss, Labor and Inequality, Sexuality and the Body, Land and Memory, Future Society and Experimental Literature, and Fantasy and Pure Literature.

Of course, many works span multiple themes. The classification is merely a guide for reading.

The classification is as follows.

Theme / Number of Works

The most common category was "Fantasy and Pure Literature." However, it is followed by "Family and Loss" and "Labor and Inequality."

Although the Akutagawa Prize is an award for pure literature, it has selected many works that depict the pain and urgency of human beings living in reality.

The 2000s—An Era of Self-Consciousness and Family

In the first half of the 2000s, works depicting self-consciousness and loneliness, such as "Kiregire," "I Want to Kick You in the Back," and "Hitori Biyori," appeared one after another.

On the other hand, works with themes of family and loss, such as "Chūin no Hana," "Mō Supīdo de Haha wa," and "Children in the Earth," are also prominent.

Looking back now, it can be said that the Akutagawa Prize during this period was centered on literature concerning the "individual" and the "family."

The 2010s—The Discovery of the Body and Labor

Entering the 2010s, the themes of the Akutagawa Prize expanded even further.

"The Working Man's Train" depicted the life of a man who had fallen through the cracks of society, while "Convenience Store Woman" portrayed an individual unable to adapt to modern society.

Furthermore, works focusing on the body and gender, such as "Breasts and Eggs" and "A Tale of the Marriage of Different Species," began to increase in presence.

It was an era where themes of labor and the body came to the forefront, alongside those of loneliness and family.

The 2020s—The Diversifying Akutagawa Prize

The Akutagawa Prize in recent years is even more diverse.

"Hunchback" depicts disability and the body, while "The Island Where Spider Lilies Bloom" depicts language and community.

"Tokyo Sympathy Tower" and "DTOPIA" take future society and the systems themselves as their subjects.

If the Akutagawa Prize of the past was a prize centered on the 'I-novel,' the current Akutagawa Prize has transformed into one that handles a wide range of themes, including society, the body, land, and technology.

Representative Works by Theme

Loneliness and Self-Consciousness
2003 "I Want to Kick You in the Back" (by Risa Wataya)

A representative work that vividly depicts the loneliness of youth and a sense of alienation from others.

Family and Loss
2022 "Family in the Wasteland" (by Atsushi Sato)

Depicts the loss and rebirth of a family living in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster.

Labor and Inequality
2016 "Convenience Store Woman" (by Sayaka Murata)

A representative modern work that re-examines working and adaptation to society.

Sexuality and the Body
2023 "Hunchback" (by Sao Ichikawa)

It depicted the body and desire head-on, causing a major sensation.

Land and Memory
2020 "Shuri's Horse" (by Haneko Takayama)

Quietly depicts the memories etched into the land of Okinawa.

Future Society and Experimental Literature
2023: "Tokyo Sympathy Tower" (by Rie Kudan)

A future where Zaha Hadid's New National Stadium exists. A much-discussed work depicting a near-future society governed by systems and language.

Fantasy and Pure Literature
2012: "ab sango" (by Natsuko Kuroda)

A unique work in the history of the Akutagawa Prize that pursues the possibilities of language itself.

The Akutagawa Prize has depicted "people living in the modern age"

Looking at the winning works since 2000, it is clear that the Akutagawa Prize has by no means chosen only obscure or difficult works.

There are lonely young people. There are people who have lost their families. There are people who work. There are people suffering from physical ailments. And there are works that depict the memories of a land or a future society.

Even if the themes differ, at the center of them all has always been the human being.

As we look at each theme from here on, it will become even clearer what the Akutagawa Prize has depicted and valued over these past 25 years. First, I would like to look back starting with "Loneliness and Self-Consciousness."

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