Nobuko Takagi is the pen-name of Nobuko Tsuruta, a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese author.

Takagi was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture

Yamaguchi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...

, graduated from the Junior College of Tokyo Woman's Christian University (now Tokyo Woman's Christian University

Tokyo Woman's Christian University

, often abbreviated to or TWCU, is a university in Tokyo Japan.-Founding:TWCU was established by Nitobe Inazō , a Japanese agricultural economist and educator, who was appointed as the first president in 1918. The first classes were held in Tsunohazu...

), and first published in 1980 with Sono hosoki michi (That Narrow Road). It was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize

Akutagawa Prize

The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

, as were her subsequent stories Tôsugiru tomo (A Distant Friend, 1981), Oikaze (A Following Wind, 1982), and Hikari idaku tomo yo (To a Friend Embracing the Light, 1983), which won the prize. Other works include Ginga no shizuku (Drops Falling from the Milky Way, 1993) and Tsuta moe (The Burning Vine, 1994).

Takagi's main interest lies in exploring the themes of romantic love in many forms, including innocent love, married love, extramarital affairs, and love triangles. She is currently a Special Guest Professor at Kyushu University

Kyushu University

Kyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...

.

"Will O' Wisp" (Onibi), a short story first published in Japanese in 2002 (Bungei-bunko), appears in English translation in Skyward, the Japan Airline inflight magazine, June, 2003.

The 2009 movie Mai Mai Miracle

Mai Mai Miracle

is a Japanese animated film based on Nobuko Takagi's novelization of her autobiography, Maimai Shinko. It was produced by the animation studio Madhouse, distributed by Shochiku, and directed by Sunao Katabuchi....

 is based upon the novelization of Takagi's autobiography, Maimai Shinko.

Major prizes

• 1984 Akutagawa Prize
  Akutagawa Prize
  The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
  
   for Hikari idaku tomo yo (To a Friend Embracing the Light)
• 1994 Shimase Literary Prize for Love Stories for Tsuta-moe
• 1999 Tanizaki Prize
  Tanizaki Prize
  The Tanizaki Prize , named in honor of the Japanese novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, is one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher...
  
  for Tokō no ki (透光の樹)