Shiono Nanami

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Shiono Nanami

Born 7 July 1937 (1937-07-07) (age 70)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation novelist, essayist
Nationality Japan
Genres Historical
Notable work(s) Roma-jin no Monogatari(『ローマ人の物語』) series

Shiono Nanami (塩野七生, 7 July, 1937 - ), Japanese author and novelist. Famous for her works on history of Italy, mainly concentrated on ancient Rome and Renaissance-age Italy. There are huge reputation on her in Japan and South Korea for her magnum opus, Roma-jin no Monogatari and other works.

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[edit] Biography

Shiono was born in Tokyo, on 7 July, 1937. While in highschool, she first read Homer's Iliad and was fascinated by it. Shiono graduated from Gakushuin University with a degree in philosophy. During her years in school, she was deeply devoted to students political activism, but eventually became disillusioned.

Then she re-discovered her interest in European history. She went on a study tour in Italy from 1963 to 1968. While on tour, she had no teacher and studied all on her own. She also travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East while studying in Italy. Upon returning to Japan in 1968, she began to write and had her first book, Runesansu no Onna-tachi (The Women of the Renaissance), published in the literary magazine Chūo Kōron.

In 1970, she published her second work Chēsare Borujia Aruiwa Yūkanaru Reikoku (Cesare Borgia the Elegant Tyrant). In the same year, she married an Italian doctor of Sicilian descent and moved to Florence, Italy. They had a son, but the marriage failed years later. She moved to Rome, Italy in 1993 and currently lives there.

[edit] Works

In her early works, she concentrated on Renaissance-age Italy, and wrote many historically based novels. Her distinctive viewpoint and writing style won her many enthusiasts.

Her works in the 1970s include most of her works on Renaissance, such as Runesansu no Onna-tachi (The Women of the Renaissance), Chesare Borujia Aruiwa Yukanaru Reikoku (Cesare Borgia the Elegant Tyrant) and Kami no Dairinin (The Deputies of God).

Later her interest shifted to the history of Venice. After working on it for ten years, she published Umi no Miyako no Monogatari in 1980, the work made Shiono a nationally known figure.

Shiono started a monumental work on ancient Rome, Roma-jin no Monogatari in 1992. The work, completed in 2006, is a 15-volume series that traces the history of the city and the Roman Empire. Later she mentioned how she was captivated by ancient Roman history.

While I was researching Italian history during the Renaissance, I found that the root of the Renaissance was the ancient Greco-Roman ideas. The Romans enthralled me, since they were the ones who founded a universal state, which left an imprint on succeeding generations.[citation needed]

Her works also include many non-novel books, mostly essays on historic, political and/or cultural topics that reflect her life and show her distinguished point of view.

[edit] Reputation and awards

Although her first work won her recognition in Japan, it was not until the publication of Umi no Miyako no Monogatari that she became a national sensation. Umi no Miyako no Monogatari became a literary phenomenon in Japan in the 1980s, and some people compared Venice to Japan and sought vision of Japan's future in her book. Her books were first published in Korea in 1995, and Roma-jin no Monogatari quickly became a bestseller there (Roma-in Iyagi in Korean), and her reputation grew tremendously in the country.

She was awarded the literary prize given by the Mainichi Publishing House for her work Runesansu no Onna-tachi. In 1982, Umi no Miyako no Monogatari, her work on Venice, won her the Suntory Literary Prize. She won the Kikuchi Kan Prize the following year. For Roma-jin no Monogatari, she was awarded the Shincho Literary Prize. The Italian government conferred upon her the Grande Ufficiale Order of Merit in 2002 for introducing Italian history and culture to Japan. She received other prizes including the Shiba Ryotaro Prize in 1999.

Shiono's reputation in Japan is dichotomic. Many think that her works are engaging while others consider them one-sided, over-simplified and sensational interpretation of moments in history that are in fact multi-faceted and complicated. Professional historians tend to criticize her works for their lack of references and objectivity.

[edit] Shiono Nanami's Works

[edit] Works on the Renaissance

[edit] Res Gestae Populi Romani

  • Roma-jin no Monogatari (Res Gestae Populi Romani: The Stories of the Romans[1]) (1992-2006)
    • Roma wa Ichinichi ni shite Narazu (Roma Non Uno Die Aedificata Est: Rome was not Built in One Day) (1992)
    • Hannibaru Senki (Bellum Hannibalicum: The Hannibal War) (1993)
    • Shōsha no Konmei (Bellorum Civilium: The Turmoil of the Victor) (1994)
    • Yuriusu Kaesaru, Rubikon Izen (Julius Caesar, Before Crossing the Rubicon) (1995)
    • Yuriusu Kaesaru, Rubikon Igo (Julius Caesar, After Crossing the Rubicon) (1996)
    • Pakkusu Rōmana (Pax Romana) (1997)
    • Akumei Takaki Kōtei-tachi (Imperatores Malæ Famæ: The Infamous Emperors) (1998)
    • Kiki to Kokufuku (Crisis Et Ab Ea Exitus: The Crisis and the Vanquishment) (1999)
    • Kentei no Seiki (Sæculum Aureum: The Century of Good Emperors) (2000)
    • Subete no Michi wa Rōma ni Tsūzu (Omniæ Viæ Quæ Ad Romam Duxerunt: All Roads Lead to Rome) (2001)
    • Owari no Hajimari (Finis Principium: The Start of the Catastrophe) (2002)
    • Meisō Suru Teikoku (Tertii Sæculi Crisis: The Empire in Chaos) (2003)
    • Saigo no Doryoku (De Ultimis Laboribus: The Last Endeavour) (2004)
    • Kirisuto no Shōri (De Christi Victoria: The Victory of Christ) (2005)
    • Rōma Sekai no Shūen (Romani Mundi Finis: The End of the Roman World) (2006)

[edit] Novels (fiction)

[edit] The East Mediterranean Trilogy

  • Konstantinōpuru no Kanraku (The Fall of Constantinople) (1983)
    • The Fall of Constantinople translated into English by Kerim Yasar - Vertical Inc. 2005
  • Rōdosu-to no Kōbō-ki (The Record of the Battle of Rhodes) (1985)
    • The Siege of Rhodes translated into English by Carolyn L. Temporelli, Wilburn Hansen, & Steven Wills - Vertical Inc. 2006
  • Repanto no Kaisen (The Battle of Lepanto) (1987)
    • The Battle of Lepanto translated into English by Carolyn L. Temporelli, Steven M. Bryan, & Wilburn Hansen - Vertical Inc. 2007

[edit] The Stories from Three Cities

  • Hiiro no Venechia (Venice in Crimson) (1987)
  • Giniro no Firenche (Florence in Silver) (1989)
  • Kōkin no Roma (Rome in Gold) (1990)

[edit] Essays

  • Silent Minority (1993)
  • Otoko-tachi E (To Men) (1989)
  • Futatabi Otoko-tachi E (To Men Again) (1994)
  • Itaria Kara no Tegami (Letters from Italy) (1972)
  • Itaria Imon (Literary Remains from Italy) (1979)
  • Otona Futari no Gogo (Afternoon Conversation between Two Adults), co-authored with Hiroyuki Itsuki (1998)

[edit] Criticism

Some critics indicate some serious misunderstandings and misconception in her works (especially on ancient Greek history), which they say may mislead readers. Others criticize her works for their political bias and being too right-leaning.

[edit] Trivia

  • Her name, Nanami, means "birth on seven". This name is given due to her birthday, 7th of July(7/7).
  • Three books in her East Mediterranean Trilogy—The Fall of Constantinople, The Siege of Rhodes, and The Battle of Lepanto—have been translated into English by Vertical Inc.

[edit] Prizes

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Note that a subtitle of each book is translation of Japanese subtitle, not that of Latin.

[edit] External links