BEHIND THE BRIGHT Ranpo Edogawa Profile introduced him to Ruiko Kuroiwa. His works were published in episodes in newspapers with terrific, full of horror and blood illustrations which left a lasting impression on young Tarō. He made his debut in May 1923, with the story “The Two-Sen Copper Coin” which won a competition for a criminal short story in wellknown Shin Seinen magazine. It was the first bigger work of a Japanese writer published there. It stunned the chief editor so much that he suspected the author of plagiarising western work. And the author was none other than Tarō Hirai with his new pen name - Edogawa Ranpo. It’s a humorous reference to Edgar Allan Poe,
Ranpo Edogawa (Source:Wikimedia.org)
whom he admired. Said quickly sounds Author, critic, a writer of popular and leisure
surprisingly similar.
literature for young adults or a well-known and
This first artwork was a detective story.
respected father of Japanese mystery and
Classically, it made a central point out of using
thriller fiction, Ranpo Edogawa is a fascinating
logical thinking to solve puzzles. What’s
man of many faces and an important figure in
interesting, the story incorporated various
Japanese modern literature.
elements of Japanese culture - a code based on
A grandson of a samurai and a son of a
a Buddhist chant “nenbutsu” and a Japanese-
merchant, he was born as Tarō Hirai in Nabari,
language Braille.
Mie Prefecture at the turn of the 20th century in
Edogawa became popular, almost overnight,
1894. In 1916 he graduated Waseda University
publishing many stories focused on solving
with a degree in economics. He worked various
crimes. At first his works often presented an
professions, not able to settle anywhere. The
intelligent protagonist unmasking mystery and
only constant thing in his life was the love for,
overcoming stumpers. That would change a lot
at the time still quite new, criminal novels. It
later.
was thanks to his mother - Kiku - who 9
