Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, writer of poetic fiction, dies

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe, whose darkly poetic novels were built from his memories during Japan’s postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son, has died. He was 88. His publisher said Oe died March 3. Oe in 1994 became the second Japanese author awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. The Swedish Academy cited the author for his works of fiction, in which “poetic force creates an imagined world where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.” His most searing works were influenced by the birth of Oe’s mentally disabled son in 1963. “A Personal Matter” was published a year later. He also wrote nonfiction and spoke against nuclear power.