Mieko Kawakami

Mieko Kawakami
Native name
川上未映子
Born (1976-08-29) August 29, 1976
Osaka, Japan
OccupationWriter, poet
LanguageJapanese
GenreFiction, poetry, short stories
Notable works
  • Heaven
  • Breasts and Eggs
Notable awards
SpouseKazushige Abe
Children1
Website
Official website

Mieko Kawakami (川上未映子, Kawakami Mieko; born August 29, 1976) is a Japanese writer and poet. Her work has won several literary awards, including the 2007 Akutagawa Prize for her novella Chichi to Ran (乳と卵), the 2013 Tanizaki Prize for her short story collection Ai no yume to ka (愛の夢とか), and the 2008 Nakahara Chūya Prize for Contemporary Poetry for Sentan de, sasuwa sasareruwa soraeewa (先端で さすわ さされるわ そらええわ). Her 2019 novel Natsu Monogatari, an expanded version of Chichi to Ran, became a bestseller and was translated into English under the title Breasts and Eggs. Kawakami's works have been translated into several languages and distributed internationally.

Early life and music career

Kawakami was born in Osaka on August 29, 1976 to a working-class family.[1][2]

Kawakami worked as a hostess and bookstore clerk before embarking on a singing career.[3] Kawakami released three albums but quit her musical career in 2006 to focus on writing.[4]

Writing career

Kawakami made her literary debut as a poet in 2006 and she published her first novella, Watakushiritsu In Hā Matawa Sekai, in 2007.[5] Before winning the Akutagawa Prize in 2008 for Chichi to Ran, Kawakami was known in Japan primarily as a blogger.[3] At its peak, her blog received over 200,000 hits per day.[6]

In 2010, Kawakami's first full-length novel, Heaven, won the Murasaki Shikibu Prize for Literature. In 2012, an English translation of her short story "March Yarn" appeared in March was Made of Yarn, a collection of essays and stories about the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[7]

From 2015 to 2017, Kawakami conducted a series of interviews with Haruki Murakami, in which she notably asked him about women and sexualization in his novels.[8] The edited volume of these interviews, titled Mimizuku wa Tasogare ni Tobitatsu (みみずくは黄昏に飛びたつ; Haruki Murakami: A Long, Long Interview) was published in 2017. Kawakami was selected as a 2016 Granta Best of Young Japanese Novelists for her short story "Marie's Proof of Love".[9]

Kawakami's novel, Ms Ice Sandwich, made the shortlist of the 2018 Grand Prix of Literary Associations.[10] In 2019, Kawakami published Natsu Monogatari (Summer Stories), a considerably expanded version of her novella Chichi to Ran. It received the 73rd Mainichi Publication Culture Award.[11] In 2020, the English translation of Natsu Monogatari was published under the title Breasts and Eggs by Europa Editions.[12] Katie Kitamura reviewed it for The New York Times, observing, "Mieko Kawakami writes with a bracing lack of sentimentality, particularly when describing the lives of women."[13]

Her first full-length novel in Japanese, Heaven, was translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd and published in English in 2021 by Europa Editions.[14] It was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.[15]

Her 2022 book, All the Lovers in the Night, translated into English by Sam Bett and David Boyd and published by Europa Editions, was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction.[16][17] and will be adapted into a film by Yukiko Sode starring Yukino Kishii and Tadanobu Asano and released in 2026.[18]

David Boyd's English translation of her novel, Sisters in Yellow, originally published by Chuokoron-Shinsha in 2023, was announced for a spring 2025 release by Picador.[19]

Writing style

Kawakami's writing often employs Osaka dialect, which is a distinctive Japanese dialect spoken in Osaka and surrounding cities. She also incorporates experimental and poetic language into her short stories and novels, citing Lydia Davis and James Joyce as literary influences.[4] Her writing is known for its poetic qualities and its insights into the female body, ethical questions, and the dilemmas of modern society.

Japanese author, Haruki Murakami, called her his favorite young novelist[20] and has described her writing as "ceaselessly growing and evolving".[21][22]

Personal life

Kawakami lives in Tokyo, Japan.[23] She is married to the author Kazushige Abe, with whom she has a son.[24]

Bibliography

Novels

Novels by Mieko Kawakami
Title Year Original ISBN Original publisher Notes Ref(s).
Watakushiritsu In Hā Matawa Sekai (わたくし率 イン 歯ー、または世界; lit. My Ego Ratio in My Teeth, and the World) 2007 9784062142137 Kodansha [5]
Chichi to Ran (乳と卵; lit. Of Breasts and Eggs) 2008 9784163270104 Bungeishunjū Originally published in the December 2007 issue of Bungakukai. An excerpt translated by Louise Heal Kawai and published by Words Without Borders in 2012.[25] [26]
Sentan de, sasuwa sasareruwa soraeewa (先端で、さすわさされるわそらええわ) 2008 9784791763894 Seikyūsha
Heaven (ヘヴン, Hevn) 2009 9784062157728 Kodansha Published in English by Europa Editions in 2021 (ISBN 9781609456214), translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
All the Lovers in the Night (すべて真夜中の恋人たち, Subete mayonaka no koibito tachi) 2011 9784062779401 Kodansha Published in English by Europa Editions in 2022 (ISBN 9781609456993), translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
Akogare (あこがれ; lit. Yearning) 2015 9784103256243 Shinchosha The first part of two, "Ms Ice Sandwich", was translated into English by Louise Heal Kawai and published by Pushkin Press in 2018 (ISBN 9781782273301).
Breasts and Eggs (夏物語; Natsu Monogatari, lit. Summer Stories) 2019 9784163910543 Bungeishunju Published in English by Europa Editions in 2020 (ISBN 9781609455873), translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
Sisters in Yellow (黄色い家, Kiiroi Ie) 2023 9784120056284 Chuokoron-Shinsha Before publication it was serialized in The Yomiuri Shimbun. Published in English by Picador in 2026 (ISBN 9781609455873), translated by Laurel Taylor and Hitomi Yoshio.

Short story collections

Short story collections by Mieko Kawakami
Title Year Original ISBN Original publisher Stories Notes Ref(s).
Ai no yume to ka (愛の夢とか; lit. Dreams of Love, etc.) 2013 9784062177993 Kodansha
Ashes of Spring (春のこわいもの, Haru no kowai mono) 2022 9784103256267 Shinchosha Published in English as an audio book by Audible in 2025, translated by Hitomi Yoshio.

"No Flower" published in English on Literary Hub in 2025, translated by David Boyd.[27]

Selected short works in English

  • "March Yarn" (short story), trans. Michael Emmerich, March was Made of Yarn: Reflections on the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown, 2012.[7]
  • "About Her and the Memories That Belong to Her" (short story), trans. Hitomi Yoshio, Granta 132, 2015.[28]
  • "Where Have All the Sundays Gone?" (short story), trans. Hitomi Yoshio, Words Without Borders (On Memory: New Japanese Writing), 2015.[29]
  • "The Flower Garden" (short story), trans. Hitomi Yoshio, Freeman's: The Future of New Writing (ISBN 9781925603071), 2017.[30]
  • "How Much Heart" (flash fiction), trans. David Boyd, Granta Online, 2018.[31]
  • "The Flowers Look More Beautiful Now Than Ever" (essay), trans. Hitomi Yoshio, Granta Online, 2020.[32]
  • "Shame" (short story), trans. Louise Heal Kawai and Hitomi Yoshio, Granta Online, 2020.[33]
  • "Wisteria" (short story), trans. Hitomi Yoshio, Astra Magazine: Ecstasy, 2022.[34]
  • "The Door Between Us" (flash fiction), trans. Sam Bett, The New Yorker, 2024.[35]

Kawakami also wrote Japanese translations of Peter Rabbit.[36]

Awards and recognition

Year Prize Work Notes Ref(s).
2007 Tsubouchi Shoyo Prize for Young Emerging Writers Watakushi ritsuin hā, mata wa sekai Won [37]
2008 Chūya Nakahara Prize Sentan de, sasuwa sasareruwa sora eewa Won [38]
Akutagawa Prize Chichi to Ran Won [39]
2010 Murasaki Shikibu Prize Heaven Won [40]
2013 Tanizaki Prize Ai no Yume toka Won [41]
2016 Watanabe Junichiro Prize Akogare Won [42]
2019 Mainichi Publishing Culture Award Breasts and Eggs Won [11]
2022 International Booker Prize Heaven (2021 English translation) Shortlisted [15]
2023 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction All the Lovers in the Night Finalist [16]
2024 Yomiuri Prize Sisters in Yellow Won [43]

References

  1. ^ 未映子, 川上 (August 9, 2019). "脅迫に屈しないとはどういうことか。作家・川上未映子さんが体験して考えた｢わたしの戦い方｣". BUSINESS INSIDER JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Emre, Merve (May 31, 2021). "A Japanese Novelist's Tale of Bullying and Nietzsche". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kageyama, Yuri (March 25, 2008). "Writer blogs her way to top literary prize". Japan Times. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Lee, Jian Xuan (November 22, 2015). "J-pop singer turned writer". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "'Breasts and Eggs' by Mieko Kawakami". Los Angeles Review of Books. July 28, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  6. ^ McNeill, David (March 23, 2008). "Young commuter bloggers snatch Japan's literary laurels". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Kawakami, Mieko (2012). "March Yarn". In Luke, Elmer; Karashima, David James (eds.). March was Made of Yarn: Reflections on the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown. Translated by Emmerich, Michael. Vintage Books. pp. 55–70. ISBN 9780307948861.
  8. ^ Kashiwazaki, Kan (June 16, 2017). "Haruki Murakami talks of how he goes with the flow". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Mieko Kawakami". Granta. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "GPLA 2018 Finals: Maybe the Year of English". Bamenda Online. March 29, 2019. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "毎日出版文化賞に川上未映子さんら". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). November 2, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  12. ^ "Breasts and Eggs - Mieko Kawakami". Europa Editions. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Kitamura, Katie (April 7, 2020). "A Japanese Literary Star Joins Her Peers on Western Bookshelves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  14. ^ "Heaven - Mieko Kawakami". Europa Editions. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Heaven". The Booker Prizes. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Labrise, Megan (January 31, 2023). "National Book Critics Circle Announces Finalists for Publishing Year 2022". National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  17. ^ "All the Lovers in the Night - Mieko Kawakami". Europa Editions. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Mieko Kawakami's All the Lovers in the Night Heads to the Big Screen in 2026". NiEW. October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  19. ^ "Picador swoops for novel and short story collection from Kawakami". The Bookseller. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  20. ^ Murakami, Haruki (October 4, 2017). "Haruki Murakami on his favorite young novelist". Literary Hub. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  21. ^ Janney, Matthew (January 5, 2018). "Why Mieko Kawakami is the One Japanese Writer You Should Be Reading". The Culture Trip. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "Mieko Kawakami: 'Women are no longer content to shut up'". TheGuardian.com. August 18, 2020.
  23. ^ Hunt, Joshua (February 7, 2023). "'Breasts and Eggs' Made Her a Feminist Icon. She Has Other Ambitions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 29, 2023. The comfortable life she has ended up with — married to another successful novelist, with whom she shares a 10-year-old son and a modest home in Tokyo — doesn't always fit as well as the designer dresses that disguise her working-class roots.
  24. ^ Cook, Grace (April 22, 2022). "Rooms of their own". Financial Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  25. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (August 1, 2012). "From Breasts and Eggs". Words Without Borders. Translated by Heal Kawai, Louise. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  26. ^ "『乳と卵』川上未映子". books.bunshun.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  27. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (2025). ""No Flowers"". Literary Hub. Translated by Boyd, David. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  28. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (July 1, 2015). "About Her and the Memories That Belong to Her". Granta. Translated by Yoshio, Hitomi. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  29. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (March 1, 2015). "Where Have All the Sundays Gone?". Words Without Borders. Translated by Yoshio, Hitomi. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  30. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (October 10, 2017). "The Flower Garden". In Freeman, John (ed.). Freeman's: The Future of New Writing. Translated by Yoshio, Hitomi. Grove Press.
  31. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (August 15, 2018). "How Much Heart". Granta. Translated by Boyd, David. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  32. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (June 5, 2020). "The Flowers Look More Beautiful Now Than Ever". Granta. Translated by Yoshio, Hitomi. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  33. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (November 9, 2020). "Shame". Granta. Translated by Heal Kawai & Yoshio, Louise & Hitomi. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  34. ^ Mieko Kawakami. "Wisteria". Astra Magazine. Translated by Hitomi Yoshio. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  35. ^ Kawakami, Mieko (August 15, 2024). "The Door Between Us". The New Yorker. Translated by Sam Bett. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  36. ^ Takeda, Hiromasa (April 30, 2022). "More than just a cute bunny: Profundity of 'Peter Rabbit' stories rediscovered in new Japanese translation". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  37. ^ "第一回 早稲田大学坪内逍遙大賞選考委員会" (in Japanese). Waseda University. September 25, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  38. ^ "第14回中原中也賞が川上未映子さんの『先端で さすわ さされるわ そらええわ』に決定しました". Yamaguchi City (in Japanese). June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  39. ^ Newcomb, Amelia (December 15, 2008). "Mieko Kawakami: From blogger to global novelist". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  40. ^ "紫式部文学賞". 宇治市図書館 (in Japanese). Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  41. ^ "Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize". Books from Japan. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  42. ^ "第１回渡辺淳一文学賞に川上未映子さん". The Nikkei (in Japanese). March 31, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  43. ^ "Mieko Kawakami". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
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