Kobo Abe. Abe Kobo

Childhood future writer Kobo Abe spent time in Manchuria, where he graduated from high school in 1940. After returning to Japan, having completed his secondary education at Seijo School, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Imperial University in 1943. While still a student, in 1947 he married the artist Machi Abe, who would later play important role, in particular, in the design of Abe's books and the scenery for his theatrical productions. In 1948, Abe graduated from the university, but having unsatisfactorily passed the state qualifying medical exam, he actually deliberately lost the opportunity to become a practicing doctor.
In 1947, based on personal experience life in Manchuria, Abe wrote poetry collection“Anonymous Poems,” which he published himself, mimeographing the entire edition of the 62-page book. In the poems, where the author was clearly strongly influenced by the poetry of Rilke and the philosophy of Heidegger, the young Abe, along with expressing the despair of post-war youth, appealed to readers with a call to protest against reality.
The same year, 1947, dates back to Abe’s writing of his first major work, called “ Clay walls" The first person in the literary world to become acquainted with this work and highly appreciate it was the critic and Germanic philologist Rokuro Abe, who taught Abe German, when he was still studying at Sejo High School during the war years. The narrative in "Clay Walls" is based on the form of three volumes of notes young Japanese, who, having decisively severed all ties with his hometown, goes to wander, but as a result is captured by one of the Manchu gangs. Deeply impressed by this work, Rokuro Abe sent a text to Yutaka Haniya, who recently created the then little-known magazine “ Modern literature" The first volume of notes from “Clay Walls” in February next year was published in the magazine "Individuality". Having thus gained some fame, Abe received an invitation to join the Night association, led by Yutaka Haniya, Kiyoteru Hanada and Taro Okamoto. In October 1948, renamed “The Sign at the End of the Road,” “Clay Walls,” with the support of Haniya and Hanada, was published as a separate book by Shinzenbisha Publishing House. Later, in his review of “The Wall,” Haniya, who highly appreciated Abe’s work, wrote that Abe, who in some sense can be considered a follower of Haniya, surpassed him, his predecessor.
In 1950, Abe, together with Hiroshi Teshigahara and Shinichi Segi, created creative association"Century".

In 1951, the story “The Wall. Crime of S. Karma.” This extraordinary work was partly inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, thematically inspired by Abe's memories of life on the Manchurian steppe, and also demonstrated the author's influence on his friend, literary critic and writer Kiyoteru Hanada. The story “The Wall. The Crime of S. Karma" in the first half of 1951 was awarded the Akutagawa Prize, sharing the championship with the one published in " Literary world» “Spring Grass” by Toshimitsu Ishikawa. During the jury's discussion of the works, Abe's story was severely criticized by Koji Uno, however decisive role The enthusiastic support of Abe's candidacy by other jury members, Yasunari Kawabata and Kosaku Takiya, played a role in choosing the winner. In May of the same year, “The Wall. The Crime of S. Karma”, renamed “The Crime of S. Karma” and supplemented by the stories “Badger with Tower of Babel" and "Red Cocoon" was released separate publication under the title "The Wall" with a foreword written by Jun Ishikawa.
In the 1950s, standing in the position of the literary avant-garde, Abe, together with Hiroshi Noma, joined the “People's Literature” association, as a result of which, after the merger, “ Folk literature" with "New Japanese Literature" in "Society of New Japanese literature", joined the Japanese Communist Party. However, in 1961, after the 8th Congress of the CPJ and the new course of the party determined at it, having received it with skepticism, Abe publicly criticized it, which was followed by his expulsion from the CPY.
In 1973, Abe created and headed his own theater, Abe Kobo Studio, which marked the beginning of a period of fruitful dramatic creativity. At the time of opening, the Abe Theater employed 12 people. Thanks to the support of Seiji Tsutsumi, Abe's troupe was able to settle in Shibuya at the Seibu Theater, now called PARCO. In addition, the performances of the experimental group have been demonstrated abroad more than once, where they have received high praise. Thus, in 1979, the play “The Baby Elephant Died” was successfully performed in the USA. Despite the fact that Abe’s non-trivial innovative approach caused great resonance in theater world In each of the countries where Abe Kobo Studio toured, while remaining ignored by critics in Japan itself, the Abe Theater gradually ceased to exist in the 1980s.
Around 1981, Abe's attention was drawn to the work of the German thinker Elias Canetti, coinciding with his award of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Around the same time, on the recommendation of his Japanese friend Donald Keene, Abe became acquainted with the works of the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. The works of Canetti and Marquez shocked Abe so much that in his subsequent own works and television appearances, Abe enthusiastically began to popularize their work, contributing to a significant increase in the readership of these authors in Japan.
Late at night on December 25, 1992, Abe was hospitalized after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the fact that after returning from the hospital, the course of treatment was continued at home, starting on January 20, 1993, his health began to deteriorate sharply, as a result of which, early in the morning of January 22, the writer died suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 68.
Kenzaburo Oe, putting Abe on a par with Kafka and Faulkner and considering him one of the greatest writers in the history of literature, said that if Abe had lived longer, he, and not Oe himself, who was awarded it in 1994, would certainly have received Nobel Prize on literature.

Interesting Facts:
***
Abe was the first Japanese writer, who began to compose his works by typing them in a word processor (since 1984). Abe used NEC NWP-10N and Bungo programs.
***
Abe's musical interests were varied. Being a big fan of the group " Pink Floyd“Of academic music, he most appreciated the music of Bela Bartok. In addition, Abe acquired a synthesizer long before he received mass distribution in Japan (at that time, except for Abe, the synthesizer could only be found in the “Studio electronic music» NHK and composer Isao Tomita, and if we exclude those who used the synthesizer for professional purposes, then Abe was the only owner of this instrument in the country). Abe used the synthesizer in the following way: he recorded interview programs broadcast on NHK and independently processed them to create sound effects that served as accompaniment in theatrical productions"Abe Kobo Studios"
***
Abe is also known for his interest in photography, which went far beyond mere hobby and bordered on mania. Photography, revealing itself through themes of surveillance and voyeurism, is ubiquitous in artistic works Abe. Abe's photographs were used in the design of the published "Shinchosha" full meeting Abe's writings: they can be seen at back side each volume of the collection. Abe the photographer preferred Contax cameras, and garbage dumps were among his favorite photographic subjects.
***
Abe holds a patent for a simple and convenient snow chain (“Chainiziee”) that can be placed on car tires without the use of a jack. The invention was demonstrated by him on the 10th international exhibition inventors, where Abe was awarded a silver medal.

Fantasy in the works of Kobo Abe.
The July 1958 issue of Sekai magazine began publishing Kobo Abe's science fiction novel The Fourth Ice Age. Many NF historians consider this publication to be the beginning new era Japanese fantastic literature. And for Japanese science fiction writers themselves, this event is significant. The venerable writer and brilliant stylist’s turn to this genre took science fiction to new frontiers. The form of “The Fourth Ice Age” is a classic SF novel: on the eve of a great flood, scientists are trying to breed a new breed of amphibian people. Essentially it's deep philosophical parable about the tragedy talented person suffocating within the narrow confines of his own philistine worldview.
Kobo Abe expanded the psychological (and literary) boundaries of Japanese SF. The writer subsequently turned to science fiction more than once. Behind the "Fourth ice age”, the only “purely SF” work of Kobo Abe, followed by such masterpieces as “Alien Face” (1964), “Kafkaesque” “Box Man” (1973), “post-nuclear” “Sakura Ark” (1984 .) And whole line stories.
Kobo Abe is also known as the author of grotesque and fantastic plays. Perhaps the most famous among them is “The Man Who Turned into a Stick” (1969).

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Collaboration with Hiroshi Teshigahara (director)

« Trap » (also "Collapse"; Japanese おとし穴) - Japanese black and white Feature Film 1962, the first feature film by Hiroshi Teshigahara, previously known as a documentarian. Kobo Abe wrote the script for the film. Combines elements social drama, which tells about the hard life of miners and the contradictions in the miners' trade unions, with mystical plot about the murder investigation. Kobo Abe wrote the script based on his own absurdist play. Subsequently, Teshigahara made three more films, based on the novels of Kobo Abe: “The Woman in the Sands” (1964), “Alien Face” (1966) and “The Burnt Map” (1968). The film was included in the Criterion Collection as part of a collection of three films Teshigahara by Kobo Abe (together with "Woman in the Sand" and "Alien Face"), several short films and documentary film about the collaboration between director and writer.

Childhood years future writer Kobo Abe spent in Manchuria, where in 1940 he graduated from high school. After returning to Japan, having completed his secondary education at Seijo School, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Imperial University in 1943. While still a student, in 1947 he married the artist Machi Abe, who would later play an important role, in particular, in the design of Abe’s books and the scenery for his theatrical productions. In 1948, Abe graduated from the university, but having unsatisfactorily passed the state qualifying medical exam, he actually deliberately lost the opportunity to become a practicing doctor.

In 1947, based on his personal experiences in Manchuria, Abe wrote a poetry collection, Anonymous Poems, which he published himself, mimeographing the entire 62-page book. In the poems, where the author was clearly strongly influenced by the poetry of Rilke and the philosophy of Heidegger, the young Abe, along with expressing the despair of post-war youth, appealed to readers with a call to protest against reality.

The same year, 1947, dates back to Abe’s writing of his first large-scale work, called “Clay Walls.” The first person in the literary world to become acquainted with this work and highly appreciate it was the critic and German philologist Rokuro Abe, who taught Abe German when he was still studying at Sejo High School during the war years. The narrative in “Clay Walls” is structured in the form of three volumes of notes of a young Japanese man who, having decisively severed all ties with his hometown, goes to wander, but as a result is captured by one of the Manchurian gangs. Deeply impressed by this work, Rokuro Abe sent the text to Yutaka Haniya, who recently created the then little-known magazine “Modern Literature”. The first volume of notes from “Clay Walls” was published in the journal “Individuality” in February of the following year. Having thus gained some fame, Abe received an invitation to join the Night association, led by Yutaka Haniya, Kiyoteru Hanada and Taro Okamoto. In October 1948, renamed “The Sign at the End of the Road,” “Clay Walls,” with the support of Haniya and Hanada, was published as a separate book by Shinzenbisha Publishing House. Later, in his review of “The Wall,” Haniya, who highly appreciated Abe’s work, wrote that Abe, who in some sense can be considered a follower of Haniya, surpassed him, his predecessor.

In 1950, Abe, together with Hiroshi Teshigahara and Shinichi Segi, created the creative association “Century”.

In 1951, the story was published in the February issue of the magazine “Modern Literature” "Wall. Crime of S. Karma". This extraordinary piece was partly inspired "Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll, thematically drew on Abe's memories of life on the Manchurian steppe, and also demonstrated the influence on the author of his friend, literary critic and writer Kiyoteru Hanada. The story “The Wall. The Crime of S. Karma” was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in the first half of 1951, sharing the championship with Toshimitsu Ishikawa’s “Spring Grass” published in the Literary World. During the jury's discussion of the entries, Abe's story was severely criticized by Koji Uno, but the enthusiastic support of Abe's candidacy by the other jury members, Yasunari Kawabata and Kosaku Takiya, played a decisive role in choosing the winner. In May of the same year, “The Wall. Crime of S. Karma”, renamed “Crime of S. Karma” and supplemented with stories "Badger from the Tower of Babel" And "Red Cocoon" published as a separate edition under the title "Wall" with a foreword written by Jun Ishikawa.

In the 1950s, standing in the position of the literary avant-garde, Abe, together with Hiroshi Noma, joined the association “People’s Literature”, as a result of which, after the merger of “People’s Literature” with “New Japanese Literature” into the “Society of New Japanese Literature”, he joined Communist Party of Japan. However, in 1961, after the 8th Congress of the CPJ and the new course of the party determined at it, having received it with skepticism, Abe publicly criticized it, which was followed by his expulsion from the CPJ.

In 1973, Abe created and headed his own theater, Abe Kobo Studio, which marked the beginning of a period of fruitful dramatic creativity. At the time of opening, the Abe Theater employed 12 people. Thanks to the support of Seiji Tsutsumi, Abe's troupe was able to settle in Shibuya at the Seibu Theater, now called PARCO. In addition, the performances of the experimental group have been demonstrated abroad more than once, where they have received high praise. Thus, in 1979, the play “The Baby Elephant Died” was successfully performed in the USA. Despite the fact that Abe's non-trivial innovative approach caused a great resonance in the theater world of each of the countries where Abe Kobo Studio toured, while remaining ignored by critics in Japan itself, Abe's theater gradually ceased to exist in the 1980s.

Around 1981, Abe's attention was drawn to the work of the German thinker Elias Canetti, coinciding with his award of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Around the same time, on the recommendation of his Japanese friend Donald Keene, Abe became acquainted with the works of the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. The works of Canetti and Márquez shocked Abe so much that in his subsequent writings and television appearances, Abe enthusiastically began to popularize their work, helping to significantly increase the readership of these authors in Japan.

In 1992, Kobo Abe was elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He became the first Japanese writer and the third citizen of the Land of the Rising Sun - along with the composer Toru Takemitsu and the architect Kenzo Tange - to be awarded the title of honorary member of the prestigious overseas academy.

Late at night on December 25, 1992, Abe was hospitalized after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the fact that after returning from the hospital, the course of treatment was continued at home, starting on January 20, 1993, his health began to deteriorate sharply, as a result of which, early in the morning of January 22, the writer died suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 68.

Kenzaburo Oe, putting Abe on a par with Kafka and Faulkner and considering him one of the greatest writers in the history of literature, said that if Abe had lived longer, he, and not Oe himself, who was awarded it in 1994, would certainly have received the Nobel Prize in literature.

Interesting Facts:

Abe was the first Japanese writer to compose his works by typing them into a word processor (beginning in 1984). Abe used NEC NWP-10N and Bungo programs.

Abe's musical interests were varied. Being a big fan of the Pink Floyd group, among academic music he most appreciated the music of Bela Bartok. In addition, Abe purchased the synthesizer long before it became widespread in Japan (at that time, except for Abe, the synthesizer could only be found in the NHK Electronic Music Studio and from the composer Isao Tomita, and if we exclude those who used a synthesizer for professional purposes, Abe was the only owner of this instrument in the country). Abe used the synthesizer in the following way: he recorded interview programs broadcast on NHK and independently processed them to create sound effects that served as accompaniment in theatrical productions of the Abe Kobo Studio.

Abe is also known for his interest in photography, which went far beyond mere hobby and bordered on mania. Photography, revealing itself through themes of surveillance and voyeurism, is also ubiquitous in Abe's artistic work. Abe's photographic works were used in the design of the complete collected works of Abe, published by Shinchosha: they can be seen on the reverse side of each volume of the collection. Abe the photographer preferred Contax cameras, and garbage dumps were among his favorite photographic subjects.

Abe holds a patent for a simple and convenient snow chain (“Chainiziee”) that can be placed on car tires without the use of a jack. The invention was demonstrated by him at the 10th International Exhibition of Inventors, where Abe was awarded a silver medal.

Fantasy in the works of Kobo Abe.

The July 1958 issue of Sekai magazine began publishing Kobo Abe's science fiction novel "The Fourth Ice Age"" Many SF historians consider this publication the beginning of a new era of Japanese science fiction literature. And for Japanese science fiction writers themselves, this event is significant. The venerable writer and brilliant stylist’s turn to this genre took science fiction to new frontiers. The form of “The Fourth Ice Age” is a classic SF novel: on the eve of a great flood, scientists are trying to breed a new breed of amphibian people. In fact, this is a deeply philosophical parable about the tragedy of a talented person who is suffocating within the narrow confines of his own philistine worldview.

Kobo Abe expanded the psychological (and literary) boundaries of Japanese SF. The writer subsequently turned to science fiction more than once. “The Fourth Ice Age,” Kobo Abe’s only “purely SF” work, was followed by such masterpieces as "Alien Face"(1964), "Kafkaesque" "Box Man"(1973), "post-nuclear" "Ark "Sakura"(1984) and a number of short stories.

Most of Kobo Abe's works can undoubtedly be attributed to fantasy genre. Therefore, the appearance of his bibliography on our website is natural and understandable.

Kobo Abe(Kobo Abe (Japanese: 安部公房 Abe Ko: bo:?, real name - Abe Kimifusa).
Born March 7, 1924 in Tokyo. Abe spent his childhood and youth in Manchuria, where his father worked at the medical faculty of Mukden University. In 1943, at the height of the war, at the insistence of his father, he travels to Tokyo and enters the medical faculty of Tokyo Imperial University, but a year later he returns to Mukden, where he witnesses the defeat of Japan. In 1946, Abe again went to Tokyo to continue his education, but there was not enough money, and he didn’t really want to become a doctor. Nevertheless, in 1948, Abe completed his studies and received a diploma. Having not worked even a day as a doctor, he chooses the literary field. It dates back to this time early works, which embodied the impressions of his childhood years from being in a country of another culture, - “ Road sign at the end of the street" (1948) and others.

Abe married while a student; his wife, an artist and designer by profession, drew illustrations for many of his works.

In 1951, Abe’s story “The Wall. Crime of S. Karma", which brought the writer literary fame and was awarded the highest award in Japan literary prize- Akutagawa Prize. Subsequently, Abe Kobo expanded the story by adding two more parts: “The Badger from the Tower of Babel” and “The Red Cocoon.” Unsettledness, loneliness of the individual - this is the leitmotif of “The Wall”. This story determined Abe's writing destiny.

Like every young man of his generation, he experienced a passion for politics, was even a member of the Japanese Communist Party, from which he left in protest against the introduction of Soviet troops to Hungary. Moving away from politics, Abe devoted himself entirely to literature and created works that brought him worldwide fame.

Publication of “The Fourth Ice Age” (1958), which combined the features science fiction, detective genre and Western European intellectual novel, finally strengthened Abe's position in Japanese literature.

The writer's successive novels, “The Woman in the Sands” (1962), “Alien Face” (1964) and “The Burnt Map” (1967), brought him worldwide fame. After their appearance, people started talking about Abe as one of those who decides the destinies of not only Japanese, but also world literature. These Abe novels occupy central place in his work.

Both in terms of the time of creation and in content, they are adjacent to the novels “The Box Man” (1973), “The Secret Date” (1977), and “Those Who Entered the Ark” (1984).

One of the most important points that determined his literary, and indeed life, positions was his excellent knowledge of world literature, including Russian, and perhaps primarily Russian. He wrote: “Back in school years I was fascinated by the work of two giants of Russian literature - Gogol and Dostoevsky. I have read almost everything they wrote, more than once, and consider myself one of their students. Especially big influence Gogol had on me. The interweaving of fiction and reality, thanks to which reality appears extremely bright and impressive, appeared in my works thanks to Gogol, who taught me this.”

Abe Kobo was not just a man of letters; he was known as a man of diverse abilities and talents, well versed in classical music, linguist and photographer.

Abe is not only a prose writer, but also a playwright and screenwriter. His plays “The Man Who Turned into a Stick” (1957), “Ghosts Among Us” (1958) and others have been translated into many languages around the world. For eleven years - from 1969 to 1980 - Abe Kobo owned and operated his own studio. Over the years, as a director, he staged many performances, such as “Fake Fish”, “Suitcase”, “Friends”, etc. In addition to the fact that the troupe of actors under the direction of Abe triumphantly performed in Japan, it toured USA and Europe, and also with incredible success. Many of Abe's novels have been filmed.

Biographers have always had difficulty writing about Kobo Abe's life. In fact, his biography was devoid of any significant events. He led a secluded lifestyle, did not allow strangers near him, did not favor journalists, and lived as a real recluse in a secluded cottage near the mountain resort of Hakone. And the writer didn’t really have any friends. He himself admitted: “I don’t like people. I am alone. And my advantage is that, unlike many, I understand this well." In 1992, the writer was one of the candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature. And only his sudden death on January 12, 1993 deprived him of this award.
Today in Japan, Kobo Abe has a reputation as an elitist rather than a popular writer.

Japanese literature

Kobo Abe

Biography

Abe was born in Tokyo on March 7, 1924. His real name is Kimifusa ("Kobo" is from the Chinese pronunciation "Kimifusa"). He spent his childhood and youth in Manchuria, where his father worked at the medical faculty of Mukden Imperial University. Life in a country of a different culture, of course, broadened Kobo Abe’s horizons, forced him to take a fresh look at the surrounding reality, to see many things that would have been closed to him if he had remained in the familiar world. For him, a fully formed personality, it is purely Japanese traditions began to exist only after returning home in 1946. One of the most important moments that determined his literary and life positions, there was an excellent knowledge of world literature, including Russian, and perhaps primarily Russian. What is a person in modern society what he is for society and what society is for him, in other words, a person’s relationship with a world hostile to him, an attempt to find his place in it - this is the main theme of all Abe’s works. The writer's biography is devoid of bright signs. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo, without working a day as a doctor, he chose the literary field. Like everyone else of his generation, Abe was keenly interested in politics. At one time he was even a member of the Japanese Communist Party, from which, however, he left in protest against the entry of Soviet troops into Hungary. Later, having lost interest in politics, Kobo devoted himself entirely to literature. The works he created brought the writer world fame. This is how the world recognized the novelist, storyteller, director, who staged his plays in the Abe Studio he created. The great Japanese writer passed away on January 22, 1993.

Tokyo March 7, 1924. On this day Kobo Abe was born. He spent his entire childhood and youth in Manchuria. His father worked at the medical faculty of the Imperial University.

A country with a completely different culture and traditions left a deep imprint on his worldview. Purely Japanese traditions began to exist for him when he returned to his homeland in 1946. Excellent knowledge of world and Russian literature has become one of important points, which determined his literary and life positions.

The main theme of all Abe's works is the relationship of a person with a world hostile to him, who a person is to society, and what society is to him. An attempt to find his place in life, to look at the surrounding reality, to see what would be closed to him if he remained in the familiar world.

After graduating from medical school, Kobo did not work as a doctor for a single day, but chose the literary field. For some time he was a member of the Japanese Communist Party, where, for his own reasons and as a sign of protest against the entry of Soviet troops into Hungary, he immediately left its membership.

A country: Japan
Was born: 1924-03-07
Died: 1993-01-22

Real name:

Abe Kimifusa

The future writer Kobo Abe spent his childhood in Manchuria, where he graduated from high school in 1940. After returning to Japan, having completed his secondary education at Seijo School, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Imperial University in 1943. While still a student, in 1947 he married the artist Machi Abe, who would later play an important role, in particular, in the design of Abe’s books and the scenery for his theatrical productions. In 1948, Abe graduated from the university, but having unsatisfactorily passed the state qualifying medical exam, he actually deliberately lost the opportunity to become a practicing doctor.

In 1950, Abe, together with Hiroshi Teshigahara and Shinichi Segi, created the creative association “Century”.

In 1951, the story “The Wall. Crime of S. Karma.” This extraordinary work was inspired in part by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, drew thematically from Abe's memories of life on the Manchurian steppe, and demonstrated the influence of his friend, the literary critic and writer Kiyoteru Hanada. The story “The Wall. The Crime of S. Karma” was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in the first half of 1951, sharing the championship with Toshimitsu Ishikawa’s “Spring Grass” published in the Literary World. During the jury's discussion of the entries, Abe's story was severely criticized by Koji Uno, but the enthusiastic support of Abe's candidacy by the other jury members, Yasunari Kawabata and Kosaku Takiya, played a decisive role in choosing the winner. In May of the same year, “The Wall. The Crime of S. Karma", renamed "The Crime of S. Karma" and supplemented by the stories "The Badger of the Tower of Babel" and "The Red Cocoon", was published as a separate edition under the title "The Wall" with a foreword written by Jun Ishikawa.

Interesting Facts:

Abe was the first Japanese writer to compose his works by typing them into a word processor (beginning in 1984). Abe used NEC NWP-10N and Bungo programs.

Fantasy in the works of Kobo Abe.

The July 1958 issue of Sekai magazine began publishing Kobo Abe's science fiction novel The Fourth Ice Age. Many SF historians consider this publication the beginning of a new era of Japanese science fiction literature. And for Japanese science fiction writers themselves, this event is significant. The venerable writer and brilliant stylist’s turn to this genre took science fiction to new frontiers. The form of “The Fourth Ice Age” is a classic SF novel: on the eve of a great flood, scientists are trying to breed a new breed of amphibian people. In fact, this is a deeply philosophical parable about the tragedy of a talented person who is suffocating within the narrow confines of his own philistine worldview.

Kobo Abe expanded the psychological (and literary) boundaries of Japanese SF. The writer subsequently turned to science fiction more than once. “The Fourth Ice Age,” Kobo Abe’s only “purely SF” work, was followed by such masterpieces as “Alien Face” (1964), the “Kafkaesque” “Box Man” (1973), and the “post-nuclear” “Ark.” Sakura" (1984) and a number of stories.