Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1963) award
Aiko Nakayama
なかやま あいこ
Nakayama Aiko
Pen Names:
Aiko Nakayama（Used as a pen name for literary work）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1922-01-09 （Tokyo-fu (now Tokyo), Japan）
- Died
- 2000-05-01 （Japan） age 78
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Nagasaki (attended Kwassui Girls' School) → Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (lived as a caretaker of a rented building)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist
- Active Years
- 1963-1997
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwassui Girls' School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
Kwassui Girls' School
Country:
Japan
Graduated from Kwassui Girls' School in Nagasaki (secondary education)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award (1st) | A Kind Woman | — | Shosetsu Gendai | 受賞 |
Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award (1st)
1963
Work:
A Kind Woman
Organization:
Shosetsu Gendai
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A Kind Woman
1963 Short storyA short story portraying the lives of women in the postwar period. It was the work that won the 1st Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award and introduced her to the literary world.
Women's livesPostwar society
Okuyama Affair
1971 NovelA novel-like work focusing on family relations and taboo subjects. Published in 1971.
FamilyTaboosFemale psychology
Tales of Showa Prostitutes
1974 Non-fiction / Novelistic essayA set of pieces portraying postwar prostitutes and black-market scenes. Noted for its depiction of women's social positions and lived experience.
ProstitutesPostwar black marketSex and life
Spring Cape
1975 NovelPublished in 1975. A work depicting women's lives and emotions; later published in paperback.
Female ensembleLife turning points
Shallow Dreams: The 'Maeda' Story of Shinjuku
1997 NovelA late-career work. A tale of human drama set in Shinjuku.
Urban lifeHuman relationshipsShinjuku
Bibliography
- Okuyama Affair
- Season of Abnormality
- Map of Women
- Innocent Prostitute
- Older Women
- The Seagull at the End of the Journey
- Wandering Women's Road
- Afternoon of Wives
- Half-Sisters
- Tales of Showa Prostitutes
- Spring Cape
- Elegies of Women
- Hot Road
- Crimson Camellia Tragedy
- Is Love Empty?
- Sweet Coercion
- Strange Divorce
- Widow School
- I Don't Know How to Live: How Interesting, a Woman's Life
- When a Woman Harbors Murderous Intent
- Love Stage: Women of Edo Literature
- Parched Flower
- When the Wife Scoffs
- Shrewd Desire
- Ashura
- Lake at 18: A Genuine Fresh Gal Novel
- Hell Flower: Akanesawa Chojakubo
- Noisy Company
- Refill (Whiskey and Water)
- In a Good Mood Today Too
- Aiko's Refreshing Gerontology
- A Fun Guide for Girls: You Can't Live Happily by Being Serious Alone
- Aiko's Free and Easy: Girls and Old Women Both in Good Spirits
- My Tokyo Story
- Women and Stocks: Aiko Nakayama's Stock Essays
- The Walking Cat
- Aiko Nakayama Selected Short Stories Vol.1-2
- Grow Old and Shine Today
- Shallow Dreams: The 'Maeda' Story of Shinjuku
- Women Tell Women's Lives Vol.1-7 (co-edited with Seiko Tanabe)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist portrayalNarration emphasizing a female perspectiveAusterely polished style from a literary magazine background
- Recurring Motifs
- Prostitutes and their livesPostwar black-market and ruin landscapesWomen's loneliness and solidarity
Health
-
Myocardial infarction晩年（死去までの約3年間の闘病）Died after approximately three years of illness. The long illness affected her creative activities and public appearances.
Legacy
Aiko Nakayama is recognized for candidly depicting women's lives and sexuality in the postwar period. Winning the 1st Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award launched her literary career; she influenced contemporary female writers and later appeared on television, increasing her public exposure.
Archives
- National Diet Library (authority file)
- VIAF: 260134717
- CiNii author ID
In Popular Culture
- TV appearances (e.g. 'Lion no Itadakimasu', 'Gokigenyou')
Trivia
- Her husband was killed in the war; she became a widow raising one child.
- She worked for 16 years as a resident typist at the British Embassy.
- She debuted in the literary world after winning the 1st Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award (1963).
- She had registered to donate her body; no funeral was held.
- There is discrepancy over her birth year; her daughter has stated 1920 as her birth year in some accounts.