Ivan Ira Esme Morris (29 November 1925 – 19 July 1976) was an English writer, translator and editor in the field of Japanese studies.

Biography

Ivan Morris was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, of mixed American and Swedish parentage to Edita Morris () and Ira Victor Morris (son of diplomat Ira Nelson Morris and grandson of meat-packer Nelson Morris). He studied at

Gordonstoun Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is locate ...

, before graduating from Phillips Academy. He graduated with magna cum laude at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and received a doctorate at the

SOAS University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

, specializing in Oriental languages. As an intelligence officer for the U.S. Navy, Morris was one of the first interpreters sent into Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb. Morris wrote widely on modern and ancient Japan and translated numerous classical and modern literary works. He personally knew writer

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

and translated some of his writings. Morris' book ''The Nobility of Failure'' is dedicated to Mishima's memory. HIs translation of ''The Pillow Book Sei Shonagon'' was probably his most significant translation from Classical Japanese, and his ''The World of the Shining Prince'', a description of the Heian court culture at the time of ''The Tale of Genji'', is probably his most important single scholarly work. Morris joined the faculty of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1960 and was chairman of the department of East Asian languages and cultures from 1966 to 1969. In 1966 he was elected a Fellow of

St Antony's College St Antony's College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He helped founding

Amnesty International USA Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide. Amnesty International is an organization of more than 7 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with compl ...

and was the first chair of its board of directors from 1973 to 1976. Ivan Morris died of heart failure in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, Italy, on 19 July 1976.

Personal life

Morris was married three times. His second wife was Japanese ballet dancer Ayako Ogawa, his third wife Japanese writer Nobuko Uenishi.

Selected works

As writer

* ''Nationalism and the Right Wing in Japan: A Study of Postwar Trends'', Oxford University Press, 1960 * ''The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan'', Alfred A. Knopf, 1964 * ''Dictionary of Selected Forms in Classical Japanese Literature'', Columbia University Press, 1966 * ''The

Tale of Genji Tale may refer to: * Narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, ...

Scroll'', Kodansha, 1971 * ''The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan'', Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975

As translator

* ''The Crazy Iris'', by

Masuji Ibuse was a Japanese author. His most notable work is the novel '' Black Rain''. Early life and education Ibuse was born in 1898 to a landowning family in the village of , which is now part of Fukuyama, Hiroshima. Ibuse failed his entrance exam to ...

, Encounter, Vol. 6 no. 5, 1956 * ''As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams'', by Sarashina Nikki, The Dial Press, 1971 * ''

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The work is a collection o ...

Sei Shōnagon was a Japanese author, poet, and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of . Name Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aris ...

'', Oxford University Press, 1967 * ''The Journey'', by Jirō Osaragi, Charles E. Tuttle, 1967 * ''Life of an Amorous Woman'', by

Ihara Saikaku was a Japanese poet and creator of the " floating world" genre of Japanese prose (''ukiyo-zōshi''). Born as Hirayama Tōgo (平山藤五), the son of a wealthy merchant in Osaka, he first studied haikai poetry under Matsunaga Teitoku and later ...

, Unesco/New Directions Books, 1963 * '' The Temple of the Golden Pavilion'', by

, Alfred A. Knopf, 1959 * '' Fires on the Plain'', by

Shōhei Ōoka was a Japanese novelist, literary critic, and lecturer and translator of French literature who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan. Ōoka belongs to the group of postwar writers whose World War II experiences at home and abroad figure p ...

, Martin Secker & Warburg, 1957 * ''The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love'', by Yukio Mishima, in: '' Death in Midsummer and Other Stories'', New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1966 * ''Swaddling Clothes'', by Yukio Mishima, in: ''Death in Midsummer and Other Stories'', New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1966

As editor

* ''Modern Japanese Stories'', Charles E. Tuttle, 1962 * ''Thought and Behaviour in Modern Japanese Politics'', by Masao Maruyama, Oxford University Press, 1963 * ''Japan, 1931–45: Militarism, Fascism, Japanism?'', Heath, 1963 * ''The Pillow-Book Puzzles'', Bodley Head, 1969 * ''Madly Singing in the Mountains: an Appreciation and Anthology of

Arthur Waley Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 188927 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were ...

'', Walker, 1970

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Ivan 1925 births 1976 deaths Columbia University faculty English people of German-Jewish descent English people of Swedish descent Harvard University alumni Japanese–English translators British Japanologists Yukio Mishima People educated at Gordonstoun 20th-century translators Morris family (meatpacking) British expatriates in the United States