from Grace with the Sea. Impressed by Nathan's translation, Mishima requested Nathan sign on as his translator and help Mishima in his quest in being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nathan was more interested in translating the work of Kenzaburō Ōe. Nathan ultimately refused to translate Mishima's 1964 novel , opting instead to translate Kenzaburō Ōe's 1964 novel . Mishima, who was considered an "arch-rival" of Ōe, abruptly severed ties with Nathan afterwards. In 1974, Nathan authored Mishima: A Biography (1974), a biography of Yukio Mishima. In 1994, Kenzaburō Ōe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and Nathan accompanied him to Stockholm. In 1972, Nathan provided the script for Hiroshi Teshigahara's film Summer Soldiers about U.S. Army deserters seeking refuge in Japan. He left Princeton in the late 1970s to pursue filmmaking and created three documentaries about the Japanese. In 1999, Nathan published Sony: The Private Life, a biography of Sony Corporation. The book was the product of 115 interviews conducted by Nathan with current and past key executives of Sony. In 2004, he published Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose, a scholarly work which provides a historical context to contemporary Japan. In 2008, Nathan published his memoir, Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere. In 2013, Nathan published a translation of Natsume Sōseki's unfinished novel Light and Dark. In 2018, Nathan published a biography of Sōseki titled Sōseki: Modern Japan's Greatest Novelist. Reception Nathan was described by Damian Flanagan in The Japan Times as "the one critic of Japanese literature that towers above the rest." Personal life Nathan married Japanese artist Mayumi Oda in 1962, in a Shinto wedding ceremony at the Prince Hotel in Akasaka. They had two sons, but separated after several years of marriage. In 1984, Nathan married Diane Siegelman, with whom he has a daughter and a son. Works Translations Novels Short stories Books "Tokyo Story: A Profile of Shintaro Ishihara". The New Yorker, April 9, 2001. Words, Ideas, and Ambiguities: Four Perspectives on Translating from the Japanese. Howard Hibbett, Edwin McClellan, John Nathan and Edward Seidensticker. Chicago, Ill.: Imprint Publications, 2000. "Kenzaburō Ōe: Mapping the Land of Dreams". Japan Quarterly 42(1), January–March, 1995. Documentary film The Japanese, A Film Trilogy: Full Moon Lunch, The Blind Swordsman, Farm Song (1979); music for Farm Song written by Toru Takemitsu The Colonel Comes to Japan (1982, Emmy Award) – A film about