A Lost Paradise
First edition (1997) | |
| Author | Junichi Watanabe |
|---|---|
| Original title | 失楽園 (Shitsurakuen) |
| Translator | Juliet Winters Carpenter |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Kodansha |
Publication date | 1997 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | 2000 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 372 pp |
| ISBN | 4-7700-2324-3 |
A Lost Paradise (失楽園, Shitsurakuen) is a 1997 Japanese novel by author Junichi Watanabe. It tells the story of a married, former magazine editor aged 54; his affair with a married 37-year-old typesetter and their double-suicide. The couple, Kūki and Rinko, are modeled after the famous case of Sada Abe.
The book became a bestseller throughout Asia, selling 3 million copies in Japan. Shitsurakuen became a slang word for having an affair. It was first serialized in the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun in 1995. The book was made into a film and a TV drama the same year. The film, Lost Paradise, was nominated for 13 Japan Academy Prizes winning one with Hitomi Kuroki for lead actress.