Van C. Gessel
Born (1950-08-01) August 1, 1950
Compton, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Utah (B.A.)
Columbia University (Ph.D.)
Occupation(s)Professor of Japanese Literature, Translator
SpouseElizabeth Gessel
Children3
Academic work
InstitutionsBrigham Young University, Columbia University, University of Notre Dame, UC Berkeley

Van C. Gessel (born August 1, 1950, Compton, California) is a former Dean of the BYU College of Humanities at Brigham Young University.[1] He also served as chair of the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages at BYU. He has become renowned for his work as the primary translator for Japanese novelist Endo Shusaku. He is also a prominent editor of several Japanese translations including The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature (Volume 1 published in 2005, Volume 2 in 2007).

Biography

Gessel is a graduate of the University of Utah from which he received a bachelor's degree and Columbia University from which he received a PhD in Japanese literature in 1979. He has taught as a faculty member at Columbia University, Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, and Brigham Young University. He has served as a bishop, stake president, and the president of the Portland, Oregon Mission (2005-2008) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2] Gessel and his wife Elizabeth have three children.[3] In 2016, Gessel received a rare commendation from the Foreign Minister of Japan for "outstanding contributions to mutual understanding and goodwill between Japan and other nations".[4] On April 29, 2018, Gessel was honored by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun for his outstanding work in Japanese literature, promoting mutual understanding between the United States and Japan.[5] Gessel was awarded the Lindsley and Masao Miyoshi Translation Prize in 2020-2021 for lifetime achievement as a translator of modern Japanese fiction.[6]

As the primary translator for novelist Endo Shusaku Gessel has translated eight novels from Japanese to English and consulted on the adaptation film by Martin Scorsese, Silence.[7][8][9]

Written works

  • Japanese Fiction Writers Since WWII
  • Three Modern Novelists
  • The Sting of Life

Translations

  • When I Whistle (1974) by Endo Shusaku
  • The Samurai (1980) by Endo Shusaku
  • Scandal (1986) by Endo Shusaku
  • Stained Glass Elegies (1990) by Endo Shusaku
  • Deep River (1993) by Endo Shusaku
  • The Final Martyrs (1993) by Endo Shusaku
  • Five by Endo(2000) by Endo Shusaku
  • Kiku's Prayer (2012) by Endo Shusaku
  • Sachiko: A Novel (2020) by Endo Shusaku

Edited works

  • Taking the Gospel to the Japanese: 1901 to 2001
  • The Shōwa Anthology
  • The Shōwa Anthology II
  • The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature (Volume 1 published in 2005, Volume 2 in 2007)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The "Welding Link" of Culture - van C. Gessel". Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
  2. ↑ "BYU Devotional Address - Van Gessel (5/3/05)". BYUtv. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  3. ↑ "Blog Archive » Van C. Gessel". Mormon Scholars Testify. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  4. ↑ "| Brigham Young University". News.byu.edu. 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  5. ↑ Benson, Emma (5 June 2018). "Highlights from BYU colleges". The Daily Universe.
  6. ↑ "Announcement of Recipients of Japan-United States Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature and the Lindsley and Masao Miyoshi Translation Prize" (PDF). keenecenter.org. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Finding God in the Silence - BYU College of Humanities". 8 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Derrick Clements Daily Herald (2017-04-26). "BYU professor credited as literary consultant on Scorsese's 'Silence' | Provo News". heraldextra.com. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  9. ↑ "Fall 2015 by BYU Humanities". issuu. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
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