John Bester

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John Bester, born and educated in England, is one of the foremost translators of modern Japanese non-fiction. He is a graduate of the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

Among his translations are:

• Masterworks of Ukiyo-E: Utamaro by Muneshige Narazaki and Sadao Kikuchi.
• Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse.
• The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe.
• The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi.
• The Dark Room by Junnosuke Yoshiyuki.
• Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima (autobiography).
• Acts of Worship: Seven Stories by Yukio Mishima.
• The Reluctant Admiral by Hiroyuki Agawa (the biography of Isoroku Yamamoto, commander in chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy)
• Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga (reminiscenes of an Yakuza boss).

John Bester received the 1990 Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature for Acts of Worship.