SHIINA RINZO

(1911–1973)

Shiina Rinzo was a novelist and screenplay writer from Hyogo Prefecture. He dropped out of middle school, worked odd jobs, and joined the Communist Party, which led to his being arrested and imprisoned by the thought police. While in prison he read Friedrich Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo, which piqued his interest in literature. Shiina made his literary debut with Shin’ya no shuen (1947; tr. Midnight Banquet, 1970). He was introduced to Christianity through reading Fyodor Dostoevsky, and his subsequent works dealt with Christian themes. Shiina’s Utsukushii onna (Beautiful Woman, 1955–56) was based on his experiences while working as a train conductor.