Kazuo Dan was born in the Yamanashi prefecture on February 3, 1912. He attended the Imperial University of Tokyo (東京帝国大学), where he met Osamu Dazai (太宰治), Kazuo Ozaki (尾崎一雄), and Ango Sakaguchi (坂口安吾). He studied under Haruo Sato (佐藤春夫) and graduated from the Economics Department. During his time there, in 1933, Dan released his first work, “The Character of this House” (此家の性格). In 1935, he published “Landscape of Yuubari Kotei Juku” (夕張胡亭塾景観) in “Japanese Romanticism” (日本浪漫派). This piece was nominated for an Akutagawa Prize. In 1937, he published “The Flower Basket” (花筐), his first collection of novels. He also published a poem collection, “Empty Inlay” (虚空象嵌), in 1939.
In 1937, the same year he published “The Flower Basket,” Dan was drafted into the military. He continued to travel around Manchuria after the war. Upon his return, he wrote “Ritsuko: The Love” and “Ritsuko: The Death,” (1950), books that illustrated the loss of his wife. He quickly rose to popularity through these publications, and in 1951, he won the Naoki Prize for “Song of Endless Sorrow” (長恨歌) and “The Truth: Ishikawa Goemon” (真説・石川五右衛門). He continued in his popularity with many more works, including “Penguin Chronicles” (ペンギン記, 1952), “The Sunset and the Gun” (夕日と拳銃, 1956), and “Blue Cloud” (青い雲, 1970). Many of his works dealt with the subjects of traveling and food culture. In 1975, Dan completed “House on Fire” (火宅の人), a book that he spent 20 years writing. He passed away on January 2nd of the following year at the age of 63, but “House on Fire” was recognized past his death through the Yomiuri Literature Award and the Japanese Literature Award.
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