Denpo Torishima's "Kaikin no To" (aka "Sisyphean and Other Stories") has won the 34th Nihon SF Taisho Award, which recognizes the year's most excellent work of science fiction.
Presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFJW) since 1980, the award covers a wide range of formats including novels, criticism, manga, visual works, illustrations, music and nonfiction.
Previous winners have included Mamoru Oshii's animated feature film "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" in 2004 and Moto Hagio's manga series "Barbara Ikai" in 2006.
Born in 1970 in Osaka Prefecture, Torishima also works as a designer and illustrator.
"Kaikin no To" was published by Tokyo Sogensha Co. in August 2013. The title short story, which won the top prize at the second Sogen SF Short Story Awards hosted by the publisher, and three more stories were compiled into the anthology.
The book also won the top spot in the list of Japanese science fiction stories recommended by the "SF ga Yomitai!" (I want to read sci-fi!) guidebook in 2013.
Set in a distant future, the plot revolves around the less-than-peaceful everyday life of a corporate employee who manufactures products by hand from eerie life forms. The company where he works is built on a deck supported by 100 meter-long steel poles.
Meanwhile, the 10-volume "Nova" short story anthology series and Yusuke Miyauchi's "Johannesburg no Tenshi-tachi" (The angels of Johannesburg, aka "City in Plague Time") each received the special award, which has been given since 2008.
Visit the SFWJ's official website at (http://sfwj.jp/news/).
Source:
animeanime
