Biography
Kōbō Abe (7 March 1924 – 22 January 1993) was a Japanese writer, playwright and screenwriter. Born in Kita, Tokyo, he grew up in Manchuria and later studied medicine at Tokyo Imperial University, graduating in 1948. He is best known for his 1962 novel The Woman in the Dunes, which he adapted into the screenplay for the 1964 film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara.
Abe also wrote the novels and screenplays for Pitfall (1962) and The Face of Another (1966), both directed by Teshigahara. His other works include the play Friends, for which he received the Tanizaki Prize in 1967. He won the Akutagawa Prize in 1951 and the Yomiuri Prize in 1962.
