Natsuo Kirino
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
novelist and a leading figure in the recent boom of female writers of Japanese detective fiction
.
, which received the Mystery Writers of Japan Award
, Japan's top mystery award, and was a finalist (in English translation) for the 2004 Edgar Award
. In addition, Kirino received the 1993 Edogawa Rampo Award
for mystery fiction for her debut novel
, Kao ni furikakeru ame (Rain Falling on My Face), and the 1999 Naoki Prize
for her novel Yawarakana hoho [Soft Cheeks]. So far, three of her novels (Out
, Grotesque
and Real World
) have been translated into English. A fourth novel, What Remains, a violent tale of childhood abuse and sexual degradation, enjoyed a considerable readership in Japan; Kirino, however, has expressed doubts that it will do as well in the U.S. market. Kirino also has written an installment in the Canongate Myth Series
(concerning the myth of Izanagi
and Izanami
), to be published in 2009.
A Japanese film adaptation of Out, directed by Hideyuki Hirayama
, was released in 2002 to generally tepid reviews. According to Variety (on-line edition), New Line Cinema
has purchased the rights for an American version, to be directed by Hideo Nakata
(Ring
, Ring 2
).
Short fiction:
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
novelist and a leading figure in the recent boom of female writers of Japanese detective fiction
Japanese detective fiction
, is a popular genre of Japanese literature. It's generally called in Japan.- Name :When the Western detective fictions spread into Japan, it created a new genre called detective fiction in Japanese literature....
.
Biography
A prolific writer, she is most famous for her 1997 novel, OutOut (novel)
is a crime novel written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino. It is her first novel to be published in the English language. The book is currently published by Vintage, part of Random House, in Britain and has been translated into English by Stephen Snyder....
, which received the Mystery Writers of Japan Award
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.- MWJ Award for Best Novel winners :...
, Japan's top mystery award, and was a finalist (in English translation) for the 2004 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
. In addition, Kirino received the 1993 Edogawa Rampo Award
Edogawa Rampo Award
The , named after Edogawa Rampo, is a Japanese literary award which has been presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan since 1955.Though its name is similar to the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, which has been presented by Mystery Writers of America, the Edogawa Rampo award is not a counterpart...
for mystery fiction for her debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, Kao ni furikakeru ame (Rain Falling on My Face), and the 1999 Naoki Prize
Naoki Prize
The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...
for her novel Yawarakana hoho [Soft Cheeks]. So far, three of her novels (Out
Out (novel)
is a crime novel written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino. It is her first novel to be published in the English language. The book is currently published by Vintage, part of Random House, in Britain and has been translated into English by Stephen Snyder....
, Grotesque
Grotesque (novel)
Grotesque is ostensibly a crime novel by Japanese writer Natsuo Kirino, most famous for her novel Out. It was published in English in 2007, translated by Rebecca Copeland. Publisher Knopf censored the American translation, removing a section involving underage male prostitution, as it was...
and Real World
Real World (novel)
Real World is a novel written by Natsuo Kirino. It was published in English by Vintage Books on July 15, 2008. The story describes the lives of four teenage girls: Toshi, Terauchi, Yuzan and Kirarin, and how they deal with Toshi's neighbor Worm, a teenage boy who goes on the run after being accused...
) have been translated into English. A fourth novel, What Remains, a violent tale of childhood abuse and sexual degradation, enjoyed a considerable readership in Japan; Kirino, however, has expressed doubts that it will do as well in the U.S. market. Kirino also has written an installment in the Canongate Myth Series
Canongate Myth Series
Canongate Myth Series is a series of short novels in which ancient myths from myriad cultures are reimagined and rewritten by contemporary authors. The project was conceived in 1999 by Jamie Byng, owner of the independent foundation Scottish publisher Canongate Books, and the first three titles in...
(concerning the myth of Izanagi
Izanagi
is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....
and Izanami
Izanami
In Japanese mythology, is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami.-Goddess of Creation:...
), to be published in 2009.
A Japanese film adaptation of Out, directed by Hideyuki Hirayama
Hideyuki Hirayama
is a Japanese film director. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for The Games Teachers Play in 1992. He was given a Best Director award at the 2003 Yokohama Film Festival...
, was released in 2002 to generally tepid reviews. According to Variety (on-line edition), New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
has purchased the rights for an American version, to be directed by Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker.-Life and career:Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring , Ring 2 and Dark Water...
(Ring
Ring (film)
is a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kōji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ōtaka as members of a divorced family...
, Ring 2
Ring 2
, directed by Hideo Nakata, is the sequel to the Japanese horror film, Ring.Ring was originally a novel written by Koji Suzuki; its sequel, Rasen , was also adapted into a movie as the Ring movie's sequel...
).
Fiction
Novels:- Kao ni furikakeru ame (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993)
- Tenshi ni misuterareta yoru (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1994)
- Auto (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1997); English translation by Stephen Snyder as OutOut (novel)is a crime novel written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino. It is her first novel to be published in the English language. The book is currently published by Vintage, part of Random House, in Britain and has been translated into English by Stephen Snyder....
(New York: Kodansha, 2003; New York: Vintage, 2005) - Mizu no nemuri hai no yume (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 1998)
- Faiaboro burusu [Fireball Blues] (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 1998)
- Yawarakana hoho (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1999); French translation by Silvain Chupain as Disparitions (Paris: Rocher, 2002)
- Gyokuran (Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 2001)
- Dâku [Dark] (Tokyo: Kodansha: 2002)
- Gurotesuku (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 2003); English translation by Rebecca L. Copeland as GrotesqueGrotesque (novel)Grotesque is ostensibly a crime novel by Japanese writer Natsuo Kirino, most famous for her novel Out. It was published in English in 2007, translated by Rebecca Copeland. Publisher Knopf censored the American translation, removing a section involving underage male prostitution, as it was...
(New York: Knopf, 2007) - Kogen (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 2003)
- Riaru warudo (Tokyo: Shueisha, 2003); English translation by J. Philip Gabriel as Real WorldReal World (novel)Real World is a novel written by Natsuo Kirino. It was published in English by Vintage Books on July 15, 2008. The story describes the lives of four teenage girls: Toshi, Terauchi, Yuzan and Kirarin, and how they deal with Toshi's neighbor Worm, a teenage boy who goes on the run after being accused...
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008) - Zangyakuki (Tokyo: Shinchosha, 2004); English translation as What Remains (London: Harvill Secker, 2008)
- Tamamoe! (Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 2005)
- Boken no kuni (Tokyo: Shinchosha, 2005)
- Metabora (Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 2007)
- Tokyo-jima (Tokyo: Shinchosha, 2008)
- Yasashii Otona (Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha, 2010)
Short fiction:
- Sabiru kokoro (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 1997)
- Jiorama [Diorama] (Tokyo: Shinchosha, 1998)
- Rozu gâden [Rose Garden] (Tokyo: Kodansha, 2000)
- Ambosu mundosu [Ambos Mundos] (Tokyo: Bungei Shunju, 2005)
Quotes
"All of them had the ability to interact with others: friends, lovers, someone to whom they could open their hearts, someone with whom they could share conversation, someone they longed to see once work was done. They had people outside the workplace who made them feel happy." --GROTESQUEOther Works
- Rebecca L. Copeland, "Woman uncovered: pornography and power in the detective fiction of Kirino Natsuo", Japan Forum 16/2 (2004): 249-69
- Amanda C. Seaman, Bodies of Evidence: Women, Society, and Detective Fiction in 1990s Japan (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2004), 86-118
- Idem, "Inside OUT: Space, Gender, and Power in Kirino Natsuo", Japanese Language and Literature 40/2 (2006): 197-217
See also
- Japanese literatureJapanese literatureEarly works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
- List of detective fiction authors
- List of female detective/mystery writers