Seishi Yokomizo

Seishi Yokomizo

Seishi Yokomizo (Kobe, 1902 - Tokyo, 1981) born in Hyōgo prefecture, graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical University with the intention of taking over the family pharmacy. Attracted, however, since he was a child by literature and encouraged by Edogawa Ranpo, he moved to Tokyo in 1926 to pursue his great passion, writing. He published his first novel, Onibi, in 1935, a work that was censored by the authorities. The outbreak of the Second World War, together with his weak state of health - he suffered from tuberculosis - prevented him from being better known among his compatriots. It was not until the war was over, when Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen magazine began publishing its works in series, when it finally achieved critical and public recognition. He is considered, together with Edogawa Ranpo, one of the maximum exponents of the Japanese mystery novel. His works, with a marked western influence, are inspired by the classics of the "golden age" of detective fiction.