Sachiko

Gessel Van:
Van C. Gessel is professor of Japanese at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Three Modern Novelists: Soseki, Tanizaki, Kawabata; coeditor of The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature; and translator of seven literary works by Endo Shusaku, including The Samurai, Deep River, and Kiku's Prayer.Endo Shusaku:
Endo Shusaku (1923-1996) studied French literature at the University of Lyon from 1950 to 1953. In 1995, Emperor Akihito of Japan presented him with the Order of Culture, the nation's highest honor for contributions in literature, art, and culture. His publications include the internationally acclaimed novel Silence, The Sea and Poison, A Life of Jesus, Song of Sadness, and Kiku's Prayer, as well as many other works dealing with childhood, the stigma of being an outsider, the experience of being a foreigner, and the difficulties of following a foreign faith.Endo Shusaku (1923-1996) was Japan's leading Christian writer, a prolific author of novels, stories, and plays. Among his translated works are The Samurai, Deep River, Wonderful Fool, and Foreign Studies. His best-known novel, Silence, was adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2017.

Van C. Gessel is professor of Japanese at Brigham Young University. He has translated eight of Endo's works, including Kiku's Prayer (Columbia, 2012). In 2018 he received an imperial decoration, Order of the Rising Sun.