Writer/Translator Frederik L. Schodt Joins Guest List for Otakon 2017
Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2017) – Writer, translator and conference interpreter Frederik L. Schodt will be a guest at Otakon 2017, according to Otakorp Inc. He specializes in currents of thought flowing between Japan and North America, and writes extensively on popular culture, technology, and history.
His best known works on manga include "Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics" (1983), "Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga" (1996), and "The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution" (2007).
He has won numerous awards, including the Asahi Shimbun's Osamu Tezuka Culture Award (special category) in 2000, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Manga Award, (special category) in 2009. In 2009, the emperor of Japan also awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work in introducing Japanese popular culture to North America.
In 2013, his book, "Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe: How an American Acrobat Introduced Circus to Japan—And Japan to the West," won the Circus Historical Society's Stuart Thayer Prize.
In addition to his original writings, he is an active translator and has worked on many well-known manga series, as well as novels, including Yoshiyuki Tomino's "Mobile Suit Gundam" trilogy. Most recently, he has translated collections of animator Hayao Miyazaki's writings ("Starting Point: 1979-1996"; and "Turning Point: 1979-2008," with Beth Cary) for Viz Media. In 2016 he finished a 900+ page biography of the legendary manga and anime artist, Osamu Tezuka, titled "The Osamu Tezuka Story: A Life in Manga and Anime" (Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2016).
For the last three years, he has also served on the executive committee of the Japan International Manga Award (http://www.manga-award.mofa.go.jp/index_e.html)
His website is at http://www.jai2.com.
Otakon 2017 will be held from August 11 to 13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its twenty-fourth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Historically, Otakon has drawn up to 34,000 people for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 100,000 turnstile attendees). Otakon is a membership based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.
For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see: http://www.otakorp.org/
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2017, see http://www.Otakon.com/
