Introducing
the Library
【Japanese】
Background of the Kenzaburo Oe Library
The years 2018 to 2019 saw the publication of The Collected Novels of Kenzaburo Oe (Kodansha Ltd., in 15 Volumes), the largest anthology of the author’s works to date. During the course of this project, related parties congressed to discuss the management of the many autograph manuscripts gathered for the anthology. Finally, in accordance with the author’s wishes, the manuscripts were entrusted to his alma mater, the University of Tokyo.
On January 21, 2021, the contract establishing entrustment of the materials was executed between Mr. Kenzaburo Oe and (then) Dean of the Faculty of Letters Katsuya Onishi. Subsequently, materials including autograph copies and proofs were transferred to the university from Kodansha Ltd., Bungeishunju Ltd., and the author’s residence. The collection has since received contributions from Shinchosha Co., Iwanami Shoten Publishers, and many private individuals; thanks to these generous contributions, the collection of hand-written manuscripts and proofs now stands at over 18,000 pages (as of July 2023).
In July 2021, Mr. Akio Mori, known for his editing of The Kenzaburo Oe Bibliography, donated thousands of books to the collection, as well as the data used in his Bibliography.
On July 4, 2023, the contract establishing use of the entrusted materials was executed between the rights holders to the author’s works and Dean Noboru Notomi. This concluded preparations to launch the Kenzaburo Oe Library, and from September 1, 2023, the collection will officially open for viewing at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Letters – Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology.
Introducing the Kenzaburo Oe Library
The Kenzaburo Oe Library is a repository holding a wide variety of resources concerning the author Kenzaburo Oe (1935-2023).
The collection comprises three sections:
1) Digital Manuscript Archive
2) Related Materials Collection
3) Bibliographic Database
1. The Digital Manuscript Archive consists of hand-written manuscripts, including both autograph originals and galley proofs, entrusted to the university by the late author. The over 18,000 pages of manuscripts available for viewing encompass all of the author’s literary works, from his debut story Lavish are the Dead, first published in 1957, to his final 2013 collection In Late Style; in addition, it contains manuscripts for a wide variety of writings, including literary criticism and reviews.
2. The Related Materials Collection holds first edition copies of the author’s works, magazines in which the works were printed, research works on the author, and other related materials. A large part of the repository consists of materials donated by Mr. Akio Mori, noted Oe researcher and editor of The Kenzaburo Oe Bibliography. Beyond Mr. Mori’s contributions, the Collection has made efforts to gather a wide variety of translations and foreign research works, creating a base for Oe studies in the broader context of world literature.
3. The Bibliographic Database allows users to search and view updated information regarding the author’s works and related texts. Building on the strong foundation of Mr. Mori’s Kenzaburo Oe Bibliography, the database combines information on the author’s works, magazines of first publication, and autograph manuscripts, all provided through a ground-breaking variety of access methods.
Of the above resources, The Digital Manuscript Archive [1] and the Related Materials Collection [2] will be only available for viewing within the Kenzaburo Oe Library; however, the Bibliographic Database is open to the public through this website.