Shuntarō Tanikawa

Shuntarō Tanikawa
谷川俊太郎
Tanikawa in 2015
Born(1931-12-15)December 15, 1931
DiedNovember 13, 2024(2024-11-13) (aged 92)
NationalityJapanese
Occupation(s)Poet, translator
Notable workTwo Billion Light Years of Solitude (1952)
Spouse
(m. 1954; div. 1955)
Tomoko Okubo
(m. 1957; div. 1989)
(m. 1990; div. 1996)
ChildrenKensaku Tanikawa
Shino Tanikawa
FatherTetsuzō Tanikawa

Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, Tanikawa Shuntarō; December 15, 1931 – November 13, 2024) was a Japanese poet and translator. He was considered to be one of the most widely read and highly regarded Japanese poets, both in Japan and abroad. The English translation of his poetry volume Floating the River in Melancholy, translated by William I. Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura and illustrated by Yoko Sano, won the American Book Award in 1989.