First edition (1997)
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Author | Junichi Watanabe |
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Original title | 失楽園 (Shitsurakuen?) |
Translator | Juliet Winters Carpenter |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Genre | Novel |
Publisher | Kodansha |
Publication date
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1997 |
Published in English
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2000 |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 372 pp |
ISBN |
A Lost Paradise (失楽園? Shitsurakuen) is 1997 novel by Japanese author Junichi Watanabe. It tells the story of a 54-year-old married former magazine editor, his affair with a 37-year-old married typesetter and their double-suicide. The couple, Kūki and Rinko, are modeled after the famous case of Sada Abe.
The book became a bestseller throughout Asia, selling 3 million copies in Japan. Shitsurakuen became a slang word for having an affair. It was first serialized in the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun in 1995. The book was made into a film and a TV drama the same year. The film Lost Paradise was nominated for 13 Japan Academy Prizes winning one with Hitomi Kuroki for lead actress.