Kiku's Prayer: A Novel

Endō Shūsaku (1923–1996) studied French literature at the University of Lyon from 1950 to 1953. In 1995, Japan’s Emperor Akihito presented the author 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 (soon to be adapted for the screen by director Martin Scorsese), The Sea and Poison, A Life of Jesus, and Song of Sadness, as well as many other works dealing with childhood experiences, the stigma of being an outsider, the experience of being a foreigner, and the difficulties of following a foreign faith. Van C. Gessel is professor of Japanese at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Three Modern Novelists: Sōseki, Tanizaki, Kawabata; coeditor of The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature; and translator of seven literary works by Endō Shūsaku, including The Samurai and Deep River.