Roger Pulvers on Hisashi Inoue's time in Canberra in 1970s

Did you know that Hisashi Inoue, one of the leading Japanese playwrights of the Showa era, taught at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra in 1970s? This year marks 15 years after his death. We spoke to an Australian author and translator Roger Pulvers, who was a close friend of Hisashi Inoue and translates his works into English, about his fond memories.

Background photo: Australian author, playwright and translator Roger Pulvers (right) and Japansese playwrite and author Hisashi Inoue in December 1975. Inset: Japanese author and poet Kenji Miyazawa Credit: Roger Pulvers/SBS/National Diet Library in Japan

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Roger Pulvers on Hisashi Inoue's time in Canberra in 1970s

SBS Japanese

15:35Japanese

Hisashi Inoue was from Tohoku region in Japan, born in Yamagata Prefecture and moved to Iwate Prefecture when he was in the third year of junior high school. He passed away in 2010, the year before the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Mr Pulvers first spoke with Mr Inoue in 1974 at an interview. Mr Pulvers says they hit it off over a conversation about the Japanese poet and author Kenji Miyazawa, and continued to get to know each other like relatives.

Mr Inoue taught as a visiting professor in Japanese studies in the School of Asian Studies at the ANU from March to July 1976. He also wrote two pieces during his stay in Canberra.

Mr Pulvers is US-born Australian writer, translator, playwright, director and filmmaker, who had lectured in Japanese language and literature at the ANU since 1972. He is also a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in 2018 and the Order of Australia in 2019.

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