Jose watanabe biography

José Watanabe (1946 – 2007) was a.
The late José Watanabe (1946-2007) is one of Peru's most beloved contemporary poets.
José Watanabe was a Peruvian poet who won a number of literary awards.

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José Watanabe

Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

Honoring

Nov. 15, 2018 • José Watanabe , Sesshu Foster , traci kato-kiriyama

This month, we are greatly honored to present a poem by renowned and beloved Peruvian poet, the late José Watanabe. In turn, his poetry here honors the 75th birthday of his mama and the indelible impact of mothers. The wonderful translation for the poem is provided by Michelle Har Kim. Joining Mr. Watanabe is a pair of poetic fragments from another the Los Angeles-based and another literary treasure, Sesshu Foster. To have two renowned Nikkei Latino writers published together in …

Discover Nikkei José Watanabe literature mothers Nikkei Uncovered (series) Peru poetry poets

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In the context of contemporary Peruvian poetry, one of the most recognized and admired poets is José Watanabe, an extraordinary creator who knew how to turn everyday reality into striking and lively poems. Much like Vallejo, another emblematic name in Peruvian poetry, Watanabe offers a new perspective and a particular way of working with language. The verses that Watanabe created were the result of an ingenious, meticulous and refined work. There is a lot of time, effort and patience behind each of his poems, and his work always surprises and moves all readers, even those who have no experience or contact with poetry.

Several scholars often include Watanabe in the so-called generation of the sixties, but he was a poet who always maintained a certain independence, adopting a neutral point of view that did not yield to the temptation to scandalize Lima’s bourgeoisie; over the years, he would prove to be more relevant than many of his peers. One of the most visible features of writers from the sixties was a strong desire for a new and original language, a form of expre

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José Watanabe

“The children of Japanese immigrants, we heard...that someday the whole family would return to Japan. The dream wasn’t too convincing, not even for our parents”¹. The fifth of eleven children, the Japanese Peruvian poet José Watanabe (1946-2007) spent his early childhood in the sugar plantation town of Laredo, about three hundred miles north of Lima, in the region of La Libertad. There his issei migrant father met and married his Peruvian mother—“a mestiza Peruvian,” Watanabe elaborates in a recent interview.² One fateful day his father found himself with a winning lottery ticket which allowed the Watanabe clan to relocate to the regional capital of Trujillo. Once in the city, the young José was able to continue on with his schooling (at the very middle school once attended by the illustrious poet Cesar Vallejo).

(Editorial Cuadernos trimestrales de poesía, Lima, 1971)

A year after receiving the 1970 Premio Poeta Joven del Perú, or Peru’s Young Poet Award, Watanabe published h