About the book: 1982 / Kyuzo Kobayashi (born in 1935) is one of the famous writers of the detective genre. For his novel A Grim Omen, about poisoning in copper mines, he was awarded the Edogawa Rampo Prize, awarded for the best detective novel of the year. Kobayashi’s works were included in the multi-volume library of Japanese detective stories from 1969 to 1978. The novel “August Without an Emperor” was repeatedly republished in Japan and filmed by the progressive director Satsuo Yamamoto, known for his anti-war films.