Yasushi Inoue

Yasushi Inoue (1907–1991) was a Japanese writer and poet, born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. A graduate of Kyoto University's Department of Philosophy, he worked as a reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun and won the Akutagawa Prize in 1950 for The Bullfight. His works span fiction and travel writing, with representative titles including Dunhuang, Loulan, Confucius, and The Wind and Fire. Many of his works draw on the history of China's western regions, and his measured prose is notable for its historical atmosphere and psychological depth. He long devoted himself to Sino-Japanese cultural exchange, served as chairman of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, visited China 27 times, and received the Order of Culture in 1976. The collection includes 14 of his works, among them The Ice Wall, The Wind and Fire, Travels in the Western Regions, Wind and Waves, and a series of legendary women's novels, covering foreign literature and quality fiction.