The Modern Novel

Biography

Saneatsu Mushanokōji was born in 1885 in Tokyo. His father was a viscount. He was a sickly child and focused on more intellectual pursuits, including literature. He went to Tokyo Imperial University, to study philosophy but did not graduate. He became part of a literary group, which published a magazine, called Shirakaba. His early works were published in this magazine. He took a humanistic approach to his writing, in contrast to the then fashionable naturalism. He published both plays and novels, before moving to a commune, influenced by the philosophy of Tolstoy. However, he left in 1926, and turned to painting, running an art gallery to sell his paintings. He continued to publish his novels but then took up travelling. He stopped publishing for some time but came back again after the War. He died in 1976.

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Saneatsu Mushanokōji
Mushanokōji Saneatsu