Donald Richie (1924–2013)
Author of The Films of Akira Kurosawa
About the Author
Donald Richie was born, in Lima, Ohio on April 17, 1924. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Maritime Service as a civilian typist. He explored Tokyo on foot and began to attend the movies, which he wrote about for Stars and Stripes and later for the Japan Times. He received a bachelor's show more degree in English from Columbia University in 1953 and then returned to Japan. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a film curator at New York's Museum of Modern Art, but by 1973 he returned to live permanently in Japan. He wrote more than 50 books about all aspects of Japan including film, food, social customs, fables, gardens, temples, folk art, music, pop culture, tattoos and sexual mores. His works include The Inland Sea, Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai, The Films of Akira Kurosawa, and Zen Inklings. He died on February 19, 2013 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Do not combine Donald Richie and Donald A. Ritchie. They are two different authors.
Image credit: Credit: HANDOUT
Works by Donald Richie
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film: A Concise History, with a Selective Guide to DVDs and Videos (2001) 205 copies
The Masters' Book of Ikebana: Background & Principles of Japanese Flower Arrangement (1966) — Editor — 36 copies
Portrete japoneze 2 copies
Words, Ideas and Ambiguities: 4 Perspectives on Translating (Pacific Intercultural Studies, 1) (2000) 2 copies
Walkman Manga and Society 1 copy
Land and People of Japan 1 copy
Musical Offering, A 1 copy
Associated Works
A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors: From the Silent Era to the Present Day (2008) — Foreword — 13 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Richie, Donald
- Legal name
- Richie, Donald Steiner
- Birthdate
- 1924-04-17
- Date of death
- 2013-02-19
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Lima, Ohio, USA
- Place of death
- Tokyo, Japan
- Places of residence
- Ueno, Tokyo, Japan
- Education
- Antioch College (BA)
Columbia University - Occupations
- writer
critic - Organizations
- Japan PEN Association
Eiga Sensho Iinkai, 1965-1966
Council of Society of Cinematologists, 1968
Board Member, National Film Center, Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1995-2002
Board of Governers, Temple University, 1996-2002 - Awards and honors
- Imperial Decoration, Tokyo: Kyokijitsu Shojusho (Order of the Rising Sun ∙ Gold Rays with Rosette)
Honorary Doctorate (University of Maryland, 1999)
Honorary Doctorate (Bard College, 2004) - Disambiguation notice
- Do not combine Donald Richie and Donald A. Ritchie. They are two different authors.
Members
Reviews
Richie claims to have written a zuihitsu; lots of high school students claim to have written haiku, as well, but, you know. They aren't Basho, and Richie is not Chomei. I'm not really the audience for this text, which feels very 'mystical East,' a feeling that is probably more about me than Richie, who obviously knows more about Japan than I will ever know; I'm just very sensitive (i.e., I object) to the idea that there is some impassible barrier between Japanese thinking and everyone else.
Reading Japanese authors on this topic is more enjoyable, and not that hard to do; for those looking for a very easy way in, this is a flawed but approachable book.… (more)
Reading Japanese authors on this topic is more enjoyable, and not that hard to do; for those looking for a very easy way in, this is a flawed but approachable book.… (more)
If you wish to learn about Kurosawa's film career, this is your best resource. If you are a fan, this is your bible. Very well put together work, with a comprehensive examination of each movie. Each entry has: little known details and anecdotes about the production and behind the scene relations between the cast during filming (which is perhaps the best part) description of the cinematography, the style, how the music was chosen and what Kurosawa, himself, was trying to achieve. It includes a rich resource of exclusive quotation from the director and contributors, themselves, in every entry. The photos are superb, including behind the scenes shots any fan will absolutely love. The critiques are mild (as they should be when fans are your target market) and not too obstrusive to the entries. In general, it is a wonderful resource.… (more)
I cannot recall a more insightful or colorful travelogue about Japan (article or book), and it's 40 years old. Richie seems that rare and perfect in between of both cultures to serve as guide/interpreter to the foreign reader. I wish he had done more.
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 65
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 1,997
- Popularity
- #12,894
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 20
- ISBNs
- 126
- Languages
- 9
- Favorited
- 4
That said, this book was a pretty useful introduction and an enjoyable read despite the author's subpar writing. I have many films to watch!… (more)