Soji Shimada


Soji Shimada is a Japanese mystery writer. He was born in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

Biography

Soji Shimada graduated from Seishikan High School in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and later Musashino Art University as a Commercial arts design major.
After spending years as a dump truck driver, free writer, and musician, he made his debut as a mystery writer in 1981 when The Tokyo Zodiac Murders was shortlisted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize.
His most well-known works in Japan include the Detective Mitarai Series and the Detective Yoshiki Series. His works often involve themes such as the death penalty, Nihonjinron, and Japanese and international culture. He is a strong supporter of amateur Honkaku mystery writers. Following the trend of Social School of crime fiction led by Seicho Matsumoto, he was the pioneer of "Shin-Honkaku" logic mystery genre. He bred authors such as Yukito Ayatsuji, Rintaro Norizuki and Shogo Utano, and he led the mystery boom from the late 1980s to present day. As the father of "Shin-Honkaku," Shimada is sometimes referred to as "The Godfather of Shin-Honkaku" or "God of Mystery.”
His humor mysteries such as Soseki and the London Mummy Murders and Let There Be Murder, Any Kind of Murder involve an extravagant mystery trick as well as elements of satire, confusion, youth, and survival.
In recent years, he has begun a new challenge—an animated series called the "Taiga Novels," collaborated with the renowned illustrator Masamune Shirow. Upon its kick-off in January 2008, he and Shirow plan to create a twelve-book series through the Kodansha BOX publishers. On top of the BOX, Shimada holds a column in the celebrated magazine, the Weekly Shincho. He is also heading two newly founded Amateur Mystery Novel contests—first, "The City of Roses Fukuyama Mystery Award" for amateur writers in Japan, and the "Soji Shimada Mystery Award" in Taiwan, sponsored by Crown Publishing company. In 2019 he joined the curated group of award-winning Japanese authors Red Circle Authors.

Awards and nominations

Shimada has been nominated for numerous literature awards, but gained a growing reputation in his early career for consistently losing out. He was nominated for the Naoki Prize twice, in 1984 for "Soseki and the London Mummy Murders" and in 1985 for "Summer, 19-year-old portrait". His books Murder in the Crooked Mansion and Water that the Dead Drink were submitted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize. Both failed to make the finalist list. In 1985, Shimada was nominated for the Yoshikawa Literature Newcomer Award for "Soseki and the London Mummy Murders". He was nominated for the Mystery Writers of Japan Award eight times in eight consecutive years, but this was declined by himself before the selection process. In 2005, his novel "The Phantom of the Skyscraper" was nominated for the Honkaku Mystery Award; he finished as runner-up.
Shimada's lack of awards led to him being referred to as the "uncrowned king".
In 2008, Shimada won the 12th Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize.
In 2010, Shimada was again nominated for Honkaku Mystery Award for "Sharaku: Tojita Kuni no Maboroshi".

Works in English translation

;Novel
;Short stories
  • "The Locked House of Pythagoras"
  • *Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 2013
  • *The Realm of the Impossible, Locked Room International, 2017,
  • "The Executive Who Lost His Mind"
  • "The Running Dead"

    Detective Kiyoshi Mitarai Series

  • Novels
  • *The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
  • *Murder in the Crooked Mansion
  • *The Knight Stranger
  • *The Cannibal Tree of Dark Hill
  • *The Crystal Pyramid
  • *Vertigo
  • *Atopos
  • *The Ryugatei Murders
  • *Hollywood Certificate
  • *Phantom Russian Warship
  • *The Devil's Revelry
  • *St. Nicolas' Diamond Shoes
  • *Nezishiki Zazetsuki
  • *Illusions from Ryugatei
  • *The Phantom of the Skyscraper
  • *The Adventures of Satomi Inubo
  • *The Final Pitch
  • *The Sea of Star Cage
  • *The Rooftop
  • *The Locked Room of Torii:The Only Santa Claus in the World
  • Novella collections
  • *The Locked House of Pythagoras
  • *Jack the Ripper of Kamikochi
  • *UFO Boulevard
  • *The Allegory of Ribeltas
  • Short story collections
  • *The Greeting of Kiyoshi Mitarai
  • *The Dance of Kiyoshi Mitarai
  • *The Melodies of Kiyoshi Mitarai
  • *The Last Dinner
  • *The Drowning Mermaid
  • *Shinshindo Sekai Isshu
  • *''The Recollect of Kiyoshi Mitarai''

    Detective Takeshi Yoshiki Series

All works, with the exception of The Fading "Crystal Express," have been published by Kobunsha Press. A portion of the works have been
adapted into a TV series by TBS: Takeshi Yoshiki Series.
  • Novels
  • *Overnight Express "Hayabusa": the Wall of 1/60 seconds – Dramatized into TV episode 1
  • *The Izumo Legend: 7/8 of a Murder
  • *Crane of the North: 2/3 of a Murder – Dramatized into TV episode 3
  • *The Fading "Crystal Express"
  • *A 2/2 Chance of Death
  • *The Blueprint of "Y"
  • *Ashen Labyrinth – Dramatized into TV Episode 2
  • *The Night Rings a Thousand Bells
  • *Yutai Ridatsu Satsujin Jiken – Dramatized into TV Episode 4
  • *Kiso, Ten o Ugokasu
  • *Hagoromo Densetsu no Kioku
  • *Words Without "Ra"
  • *Asuka's Glass Shoes
  • *As Tears Go By
  • *Illusions from Ryugatei
  • *Mekura Kenrō Ki Tan
  • Short story collection
  • *The Murder in Observation Tower
  • *The Woman Who Sells Poison
  • *Dancing Gibbon
  • *''The Portrait of Yoshiki Takeshi''

    Standalone novels

  • Let There Be Murder, Any Kind of Murder
  • Soseki and the London Mummy Murders
  • Jack the Ripper, One Hundred Years of Solitude
  • ''Summer, 19-year-old portrait''