Apr 12, 2021
French literature Prof. Norioki Sugaya of the Department of Letters, College of Arts, Rikkyo University, receives the 26th Japanese-French Translated Literature Award from the Konishi Foundation for International Exchange
Keyword:RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE.
Norioki Sugaya, professor of the Course in French Literature at the Department of Letters, College of Arts, Rikkyo University, has received the 26th Japanese-French Translated Literature Award from the Konishi Foundation for International Exchange for his translation of “Bourvard et Pecuchet,” which was published by Sakuhinsha in 2019.
The Konishi Foundation for International Exchange established the award in 1992 as part of the commemoration of its 10th anniversary to honor outstanding published books that been translated from French to Japanese, or vice versa. The award aims to support people doing translation work, which tends to be low-profile, in Japan and France and to respect long-time translators.
Gustav Flaubert’s “Bourvard et Pecuchet is an encyclopedic novel dealing with all academic disciplines in 19th-century France, ranging from agronomy to education. The work received the French-to-Japanese translation prize because the awarding committee recognized Prof. Sugaya’s efforts to make an easy-to-read translation and clarify the novel’s values in the context of science history by including many annotations.
Unfortunately, the award ceremony, which is usually held around the end of June, will be postponed this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Gustav Flaubert’s “Bourvard et Pecuchet is an encyclopedic novel dealing with all academic disciplines in 19th-century France, ranging from agronomy to education. The work received the French-to-Japanese translation prize because the awarding committee recognized Prof. Sugaya’s efforts to make an easy-to-read translation and clarify the novel’s values in the context of science history by including many annotations.
Unfortunately, the award ceremony, which is usually held around the end of June, will be postponed this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Comments
Norioki Sugaya, professor of the Course in French Literature at the Department of Letters, College of Arts, Rikkyo University
It is a great honor for me to receive this prestigious award.
I have been studying “Bourvard et Pecuchet” by Gustav Flaubert since I was a graduate student in my 20s. I wrote my doctoral thesis in France regarding this work. I spent several years on this translation. Just I when I came to the realization that I had spent my whole career on this book, the committee told me I would receive this award.
Humanities, especially the study of foreign literature, are losing their presence in Japanese society. You might think that closely reading works written a few hundred years ago in foreign languages is meaningless in the present era, when efficiency is the most important thing. Nonetheless, it is a thrilling experience to encounter other people beyond space and time. I am deeply grateful that Rikkyo University has provided me with an environment that has made my work possible.