Author Profile: From his experiences in the leftist movement during his university days and his wartime service, he wrote "Dark Paintings" after the war, leading the first post-war literary group. In particular, "Vacuum Zone" resonated widely and became a monumental masterpiece of post-war literature. Afterward, he aimed for comprehensive novels that captured the structure of society as a whole, publishing one major work after another. He also devoted himself to international literary exchange and made many social statements until his final years. Biography: Born in Nagata-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Attended Osaka Prefectural Kitano Junior High School. 1932: While attending the Third Higher School (old system), he co-founded the literary magazine "Sannin" with Masaharu Fuji (Noma married Fuji's sister, becoming his brother-in-law) and Shizuo Takenouchi. 1935: Entered the Department of French Literature, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Imperial University, and participated in the anti-war student movement. 1938: Graduated from the Department of French Literature, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Imperial University. 1938: Worked for the Osaka City Hall, in charge of matters related to discriminated communities. 1941: Was conscripted and served in China and the Philippines, but returned to Japan due to malaria. 1943: Was investigated by the military police for his past involvement in the socialist movement and served six months in Osaka Army Prison as a thought criminal. After being released at the end of the year, he returned to his original unit under surveillance. February 1944: Demobilized. He was working at a munitions factory in Osaka when the war ended. After the war, he joined the Japanese Communist Party. 1946: Published "Dark Paintings" and began his career as a writer. 1951: Involved in the editing of the magazine "People's Literature," which was first published the previous year. 1952: Received the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award for "Vacuum Zone." 1954: Participated in the editing of the poetry collection "Ode to Stalin." Wrote the poems "Star's Journey" and "Stalin" for the book, praising Stalin. 1964: Was expelled from the Japanese Communist Party for following the Soviet Union. 1971: Received the Jun'ichiro Tanizaki Prize for "The Circle of Youth." 1973: "The Circle of Youth" received the Lotus Prize. 1974: Was elected as the first chairman of the "Japan-Asia-Africa Writers' Conference." 1977: Received the Jichiro Matsumoto Prize for his writings on buraku issues, including "Discrimination: Questioning Its Roots" and "Sayama Trial." 1989: Received the 1988 Asahi Prize for his contributions to literature, including "Hiroshi Noma's Complete Works" (14 volumes, Iwanami Shoten). This is "Literature of a New Era" by Hiroshi Noma, published by Iwanami Shoten in September 1982. There is some age-related yellowing on the edges, but there are no stains, writing, or library stamps. Please consider purchasing with the understanding that this is an old book from 40 years ago.