Yasunari Kawabata (川端 康成, Kawabata Yasunari, 11 June 1899 – 16 April 1972) was a Japanese novelist and short story writer. His spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first Japanese author to receive this award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read today.