Akira Yoshimura

Akira Yoshimura (jap. 吉村昭, Yoshimura Akira; * May 1, 1927; † July 31, 2006) was a prize winning Japanese writer.

He was the president of the Japanese writers union and a PEN member. He published over 20 novels, of which in particular On Parole and Shipwrecks are internationally known and have been translated into several languages. In 1984 he received the Yomiuri Prize for his novel Hagoku (破獄,engl. prison break) based on the true story of Yoshie Shiratori.

Books

 * Hagoku (破獄)
 * Yami ni hirameku (闇にひらめく, 1997), made into a movie as The Eel
 * Shipwrecks (破船, Hasen). Harvest Books 1996, ISBN 0-15-600835-1
 * On Parole Harvest Books 2000, ISBN 978-0156011471
 * One Man’s Justice. Cannongate 2004, ISBN 978-1841954790
 * Higuma arashi (『羆嵐』 1982)(shinchosha)