The 172nd Akutagawa literary prize was awarded Wednesday to authors Jose Ando and Yui Suzuki, while Shin Iyohara took home the Naoki Prize.
The Akutagawa Prize, given to up-and-coming writers for short- to medium-length works of literary fiction published in a newspaper or magazine, acknowledged Ando’s “Dtopia” and Suzuki’s “Goethe wa Subete o Itta” (roughly translated as “Goethe Said It All”). Ando, 30, receives the award after being nominated two times prior, whereas this marks an Akutagawa debut for Suzuki, 23.
“Dtopia” is set on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora and centers on a reality show in which 10 men representing various countries and cities — including Los Angeles, London and Tokyo — compete for the attention of “Ms. Universe.” Suzuki’s “Goethe wa Subete o Itta” is about an expert who discovers an unknown quote by the influential German writer, which leads him on a journey to authenticate it amid a colleague’s scandal involving accusations of plagiarism.
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