Kenzaburō Ōe, a significant force in contemporary Japanese literature, was renowned for his novels, short stories, and essays. Drawing profound influence from both French and American literature, as well as literary theory, his works delve into a wide range of political, social, and philosophical matters. These topics notably encompass nuclear weapons, nuclear power, social non-conformism, and existentialism. Ōe's literary prowess earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994, in recognition of his ability to create "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today."