Keigo Higashino

Keigo Higashino (東野 圭吾, Higashino Keigo, born February 4, 1958) is a Japanese author chiefly known for his mystery novels. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. He won the 31st Edogawa Rampo Prize in 1985 for his novel After School.

Biography

He grew up in a working class area of Osaka, and his childhood was challenging because the family had very little money.

After graduation from Osaka Prefecture University with the Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co. (presently DENSO) from 1981. He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the unpublished finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for the novel Naoko, which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical Inc.^[1] in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for The Devotion of Suspect X (Yōgisha X no Kenshin). His novels had been nominated five times before winning the award. The novel also won the 6th Honkaku Mystery Award and was ranked as the number-one novel by Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2006 and 2006 Honkaku Mystery Best 10, annual mystery fiction guide books published in Japan.

The English translation of The Devotion of Suspect X was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

He writes not only mystery novels but also essays and story books for children. The style of writing differs from his novels, but basically he does not use as many characters as in his novels.

Works in English translation

Detective Galileo series

• The Devotion of Suspect X (original title: Yōgisha X no Kenshin), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Minotaur Books, 2011)
• Salvation of a Saint (original title: Seijo no Kyūsai), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Minotaur Books, 2012)
• A Midsummer's Equation (original title: Manatsu no Hōteishiki), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Minotaur Books, 2016)^[2]

Police Detective Kaga series

• Malice (original title: Akui), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Minotaur Books, 2014)
• Newcomer (original title: Shinzanmono), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Minotaur Books, 2018)^[3]

Other novels

• Naoko (original title: Himitsu), trans. Kerim Yasar (Vertical, 2004)
• Journey Under the Midnight Sun (original title: Byakuyakō), trans. Alexander O. Smith (Little, Brown, 2015)
• The Name of the Game is Kidnapping (original title: Gēmu no Na wa Yūkai) (Vertical, 2017)^[4]

Awards and nominations

Japanese Awards

• 1985 – Edogawa Rampo Prize: Hōkago (After School)
• 1999 – Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel: Naoko
• 2006 – Honkaku Mystery Award for Best Fiction: The Devotion of Suspect X^[5]
• 2006 – Naoki Prize: The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2006 – The Best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year (Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2006): The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2006 – The Best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year (2006 Honkaku Mystery Best 10): The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2010 – The Best Japanese Crime Fiction of the Year (Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2010): Shinzanmono (The Newcomer)
• 2012 – 7th Chūōkōron Prize: Miracles of the Namiya General Store^[6]
• 2012 – Ranked as the No. 13 novel on the Top 100 Japanese Mystery Novels of All Time: The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2012 – Ranked as the No. 18 novel on the Top 100 Japanese Mystery Novels of All Time: Journey under the Midnight Sun

U.S. Awards

• 2012 – Nominee for Edgar Award for Best Novel: The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2012 – Nominee for Barry Award for Best First Novel: The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2012 – Chosen by the American Library Association as Best Mystery Novel for their 2012 reading list:^[7] The Devotion of Suspect X
• 2015 – Nominee for Audie Award for Mystery: Malice (Narrated by Jeff Woodman)^[8]

French Award

• 2010 – Prix Polar International: Mukashi Boku ga Shinda Ie (French title: La maison où je suis mort autrefois)

Bibliography

TV and film adaptations

Some of his novels have been made into TV drama series and films:

Japanese films

• Naoko (1999, Original Title: Himitsu, 1998)
• g@me. (2003, Original Title: Gēmu no Na wa Yūkai, 2002)
• Lakeside Murder Case (2004, Original Title: Lakeside, 2002)
• Henshin (2005)
• Tegami (2006)
• Suspect X (2008)
• Samayou Yaiba (2009)
• Into the White Night (2011)
• Yoake no Machi de (2011)
• The Wings of the Kirin (2012)
• Platinum Data (2013)^[9]
• Midsummer's Equation (2013)
• Broken | Banghwanghaneun Kalnal (2014)
• The Big Bee | Tenku no Hachi (2015)
• Shippu Rondo (2016)
• Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Namiya Zakkaten no Kiseki (2017)
• The House Where The Mermaid Sleeps | Ningyo no Nemuru Ie (2018)
• The Crimes That Bind | Inori no Maku ga Oriru Toki (2018)
• Laplace's Witch | Rapurasu no Majo (2018)
• Masquerade Hotel (2019)
• Parallel World Love Story (2019)

Japanese TV dramas

• Tokio chichi e no dengon (2004 Aug–Sep, Original Title: Tokio, 2002)
• Byakuyakō (2006)^[10]
• Galileo (2007 and 2008, Original Title: Tantei Galileo, 1998, Yochimu, 2000, and Galileo no Kunō, 2008)
• Ryūsei no Kizuna (2008)
• Meitantei no Okite (2009)
• Shinzanmono (2010)
• Higashino Keigo Mysteries (2012, Original Title: Hannin no Inai Satsujin no Yoru, 1990, Ayashii Hitobito, 1994, and Ano Koro no Dareka, 2011)
• Galileo II (2013 and SP, 2013, Original Title: Seijo no Kyūsai, 2008, Galileo no Kunō, 2008, Kyozō no Dōkeshi, 2012, and Kindan no Majutsu, 2012)

South Korean films

• White Night (2009)
• Perfect Number (2012)
• Broken (2014)

French film

• The Secret (2007, based on Himitsu; French title: Si J'etais Toi, meaning "If I Were You")

Chinese film

• Namiya (2007, based on Namiya Zakkaten no Kiseki)

See also

• Mystery Writers of Japan

References

External links

• J'Lit | Authors : Keigo Higashino | Books from Japan