Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, whose darkly poetic novels were inspired by his experiences during Japan’s postwar occupation and as the parent of a disabled son, has died. He was 88.

According to his publisher, Oe died on March 3.

In 1994 Oe became the second Japanese author awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

The author was honoured by the Swedish Academy for his works of fiction, in which “poetic force creates an imagined world where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.”

His most searing works were influenced by the birth of Oe’s mentally disabled son in 1963.

A year later, “A Personal Matter” was released.

He also wrote nonfiction and was a vocal opponent of nuclear power.