TOKYO – Nobel-winning Japanese novelist Kenzaburo Oe, a leading liberal voice who defended the disenfranchised and challenged the conformity of modern society, has died aged 88.
“He died of old age in the early hours of March 3,” publisher Kodansha said in a statement on Monday, adding that a family funeral has already been held.
Known for his pacifist and anti-nuclear views, Oe saw himself as part of a generation of writers “deeply wounded” by World War II, “yet full of hope for a rebirth”.
His esoteric stories, influenced by French and American literary culture, confronted issues from perceptions of disability to the disconnect between…
