Japanese Literary Awards

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Keiko Fujimoto

ふじもと けいこ

Fujimoto Keiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1951-03-26 （Otsu, Shiga, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Otsu, Shiga, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1977-
Nominations
Akutagawa Prize nominee (Gazing Up at Hiei, 1986), Akutagawa Prize nominee (Nanko, 1991)

Education

Shiga Prefectural Otsu High School
Country: Japan

Awards

Writer's Prize
1977
Work: Waitress
Result: 受賞
Bungei Newcomers' Prize
1986
Work: Gazing Up at Hiei
Result: 受賞
Akutagawa Prize
1986
Work: Gazing Up at Hiei
Result: 候補
Akutagawa Prize
1991
Work: Nanko (South Port)
Result: 候補
Kaikō Ken Prize
2001
Work: The Gong Resounding in Tsukiji: A Novel on Maruyama Sadao
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Waitress

1977 Fiction

A story that sensitively depicts the work and daily life of a young woman, focusing on workplace relationships and personal conflicts.

laborwomeneveryday life

Gazing Up at Hiei

1986 Fiction

Set against Mount Hiei, this work interweaves regional history and individual memory in a novel-like piece.

memorylocalityfamily

Nanko (South Port)

1991 Fiction

Set in a port area, it portrays workers and the changing town, exploring the intersection of city life and people.

urban lifeportslabor

Cresson

1990 Fiction

A collection of short/medium-length pieces that portray slices of family life and everyday moments, focusing on subtle interpersonal dynamics.

familyeveryday liferelationships

The Women Musketeers Prevail

1992 Fiction

A work that humorously depicts women's solidarity and defiance, questioning social roles.

womensolidarityhumor

Yuriou

1996 Fiction

Under a symbolic title, this poetically styled work deals with loss and rebirth in a novel-like form.

lossrebirthpoetic prose

The Gong Resounding in Tsukiji: A Novel on Maruyama Sadao

2001 Fiction (near-biographical)

Using critic Sadao Maruyama as a subject, the work layers Tsukiji scenery with character study, incorporating social perspectives.

biographical elementscultureurban life

Dankai-sha (The Baby-Boom Generation)

2004 Fiction

A work incorporating generational perspectives on the baby-boom cohort, where personal and social histories intersect.

generational studiessocial changememory

The Accused Doctor

2007 Fiction

A socially conscious work about a doctor on trial, examining ethics, responsibility, and issues in medical practice.

medicineethicsresponsibility

Bibliography

  • Waitress
  • Gazing Up at Hiei
  • Cresson
  • The Women Musketeers Prevail
  • Nanko (South Port)
  • Yuriou
  • The Gong Resounding in Tsukiji: A Novel on Maruyama Sadao
  • Dankai-sha (The Baby-Boom Generation)
  • The Accused Doctor

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realist depictionintrospective proseincorporation of social perspectives
Recurring Motifs
urban/port landscapeswomen's labor and livesmemory and family

Legacy

A Japanese novelist active since the late 1970s. Winner of the Bungei Newcomers' Prize and the Kaikō Ken Prize, she is recognized for works addressing urban life, laborers, generations, and medical/ethical themes.

Archives

  • National Diet Library authority file (NDL)
  • VIAF authority entry
  • ISNI identifier entry

Trivia

  • Her birth surname is Yamada.
  • Born March 26, 1951 in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
  • In 1977 she won a Writer's Prize for 'Waitress'.
  • In 1986 she won the Bungei Newcomers' Prize for 'Gazing Up at Hiei' and was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize for the same work.
  • In 1991 'Nanko' was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize.
  • In 2001 she won the Kaikō Ken Prize for 'The Gong Resounding in Tsukiji: A Novel on Maruyama Sadao'.
  • Major works include 'Cresson', 'The Women Musketeers Prevail', 'Yuriou', 'Dankai-sha', and 'The Accused Doctor'.