Kiwao Nomura was born October 20, 1951, in Saitama Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University, majoring in Japanese literature. A leading writer of the post-war generation, he is in the forefront of contemporary poetry. At the same time, he is known to be a prolific critic, translator, and essayist on comparative poetics. His work has been translated into many languages and published in magazines abroad, especially in France and the United States. He has performed internationally and released two CDs of collaborations with musicians. He played a leading role in "Contemporary Poetry Festival 95: Poetry Goes Out" and "Contemporary Poetry Festival 97: Dance and Poesie." In 2007, he organized "The Festival of International Poetry: Toward the Pacific Rim." From August to November 2005, he was a fellow at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in the United States. In December of the same year, he served as a director of the "Japan-European Contemporary Poetry Festival in Tokyo."