Tarō Hirai (平井 太郎, Hirai Tarō, October 21, 1894 – July 28, 1965), better known by the pen name Edogawa Ranpo (江戸川 乱歩) was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery and thriller fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, who in later books was the leader of a group of boy detectives known as the "Boy Detectives Club" (少年探偵団, Shōnen tantei dan). Ranpo was an admirer of Western mystery writers, and especially of Edgar Allan Poe. His pen name is a rendering of Poe's name. Other authors who were special influences on him were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whom he attempted to translate into Japanese during his days as a student at Waseda University, and the Japanese mystery writer Ruikō Kuroiwa.
Edogawa Ranpo
Author details
- Aliases:
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Edogawa Rampo, Taro Hirai, 江戶川乱步, and 10 others
江戸川亂步, Edogawa Ranpo, 太郎 平井, 乱歩 江戸川, 江戸川乱歩, Ranpo Edogawa, 江戶川亂步, Tarō Hirai, Rampo Edogawa, 江戸川 乱歩 - Born:
- Oct. 20, 1894
- Died:
- July 27, 1965
