, born 16 March 1956, is a Japanese writer who describes her writing as 'avant-pop'.

Biography

Yoriko Shono (real name Yoriko Ishikawa) was born in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

, grew up in Ise

Ise, Mie

, formerly called Ujiyamada , is a city located in eastern Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan.Ise is home to Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shintō Shrine in Japan, and is thus a very popular destination for tourists. The city has a long-standing nickname—Shinto —that roughly means...

 and studied in the Law Department at Ritsumeikan University

Ritsumeikan University

Ritsumeikan University has a growing reputation as one of the main private universities of Japan. It is part of a group of prestigious private universities in the Kansai area, called "Kan -Kan -Dou -Ritsu "...

 in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

. She started writing while she was at university, and made her debut with the story "Gokuraku" in 1981, but was not published again until her 1991 collection Nani mo Shitenai, which won the Noma Literary Prize for New Writers. She really began to draw attention in 1994 when her story "Ni Hyaku Kaiki" won the Yukio Mishima Prize

Yukio Mishima Prize

The is a Japanese literary award presented annually. It was established in 1988 in memory of author Yukio Mishima.- Winners :* 1 1988 Genichiro Takahashi for 優雅で感傷的な日本野球 Yūga de Kanshōtekina Nippon Yakyū* 4 1999 Kazumi Saeki for ア・ルース・ボーイ...

, and another story, "Time Slip Kombinat" won 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...

in the same year. For winning these three prizes she became known as the 'new writer's prize triple crown winner', and is currently the only writer to have won all three.

Selected works

• Nani mo Shitenai (1991)
• Ni Hyaku Kaiki (1994)
• Time Slip Kombinat (1994)
• Gokuraku (1994)
• Haha no Hattatsu (1996)
• Yūkai Morimusume Ibun (2001)
• Suishōnai Seido (2003)