Bowers, Faubion, July 22, 1982

Item — Box: 1 of 6

Transcript of interview with Faubion Bowers, July 22, 1982

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Dates

Creation: July 22, 1982

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

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Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

Faubion Bowers (1917-1999) was a well-known author and academic of Asian art and culture. Bowers graduated from Columbia University in 1935 and Juilliard Graduate School of Music in 1939. From 1940 to 1941, he taught at Hosei University in Tokyo. After the conclusion of World War II, Bowers worked as the personal interpreter for General Douglas MacArthur and was present for the initial meeting between Emperor Hirohito and the general. Bowers also worked as an official censor, where he championed the preservation of Japanese theater. During his time with MacArthur, Bowers fought for kabuki, a classical Japanese dance-drama, which was going to be banned for its content of feudal values. He promoted and supported kabuki plays and was awarded by the government of Japan the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1985 for his work. Bowers published a vast number of highly recommended books on Japanese and Asian culture. He is most well-known for writing the first full-length, two-volume biography of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. Bowers was a member of the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts in New York City, where he spent the remainder of his life.