OGAI MORI (1862-1922)
One of the greatest influences on Japanese literature was a medical doctor. At
the end of the 19th century, Ogai Mori helped to modernize both Japanese medicine
and Japanese literature.
Ogai Mori, whose real name was Rintaro Mori, was born in Tsuwano, Japan, on
February 17, 1862. He graduated from the University of Tokyo medical school, and
from 1884 to 1888, studied in Germany as a military doctor. This stay in Europe
affected him profoundly, and he returned home convinced that Japan should
embrace the best of European culture and medicine, but selectively, without
recklessly destroying traditional Japanese ways. In 1893, he was appointed head of
Japan's military academy, but his literary career had already begun. His first story,
The Dancing Girl, a tale based on friends he had made in Germany, was published
in Japanese in 1890. This caused a sensation among Japanese writers, wjio had a
tradition of composing less personal works, and the course of Japanese fiction was
changed. Mori's most popular novel,
The Wild Goose, was also based on his own
experiences. After 1912, Mori concentrated on more factual, historical works, often
with samurai warriors as their heroes. These books were less emotional than his
earlier novels, but they had a striking, powerful style.
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