Japanese Literary Awards

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Mariko Hayashi

はやし まりこ

Hayashi Mariko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-04-01 （Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan (base of activities) → Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture (owns villa)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Copywriter, Columnist, Editor, University Chairperson
Active Years
1982-
Affiliations
Japan Writers' Association (Chairperson), Japan PEN Club (member), Nihon University (Chairperson), Hayashi Mariko Planning Office Co., Ltd. (Representative Director)
Memberships
Japan Writers' Association, Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
Michio Akiyama, Seiji Tsutsumi

Education

Nihon University College of Art, Department of Literature
College of Art / Department of Literature
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan

Awards

Naoki Prize
1986
Work: If I Can Make the Last Flight / To Kyoto
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Bungeishunju Readers' Award
1988
Organization: Bungeishunju
Result: Winner
Shibata Renzaburo Prize
1995
Work: Byakuren Renren
Organization: Shibata Renzaburo Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
1998
Work: Everyone's Secret
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Legion of Honour, Chevalier
2011
Organization: French Government
Result: Chevalier (Knight)
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2018
Organization: Japanese Government
Result: Recipient
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2020
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Noma Publishing Culture Prize
2022
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: Winner
Shimase Love Literature Prize
2013
Work: The Lover of Asclepius
Organization: Shimase Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Historical/Jidai Writers Club Prize
2018
Organization: Historical/Jidai Writers Club
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Buy a Lunlun and Go Home

1982 Essay collection

Her debut essay collection that became a bestseller and established her as an essayist.

Women's experiencesEveryday lifeConsumer culture

If I Can Make the Last Flight

1985 Short story collection

A collection of short stories; together with 'To Kyoto' it was cited in awarding the 94th Naoki Prize.

LoveTravelLife turning points

Kurumi's House

1986 Novel

A novel published in 1986; adapted for television.

FamilyFemale psychology
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Kurumi's House (1987)

Sullen Fruit

1996 Novel

A 1996 novel exploring characters' psychology; it was adapted for film in 1997.

RomanceJealousyFemale independence
Adaptations
  • [Film] Sullen Fruit (1997)
  • [TV drama] Sullen Fruit (1997)

Everyone's Secret

1997 Linked short stories / Novel

A linked short-story work published in 1997; winner of the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize.

SecretsHuman relationshipsPortraits of women

The Lover of Asclepius

2012 Novel

A 2012 novel centered on love; it won the Shimase Love Literature Prize.

LoveMoralityHuman relationships

Bibliography

  • Buy a Lunlun and Go Home
  • If I Can Make the Last Flight
  • Kurumi's House
  • Sullen Fruit
  • Everyone's Secret
  • The Lover of Asclepius

Adaptations

  • Sullen Fruit (film / TV drama)
  • Kurumi's House (TV drama)
  • Anego (TV drama; based on 'anego')
  • Saigo-don! (based on 'Saigo-don!', NHK Taiga drama)

Translations by Author

  • Loving Each Other (Leo Buscaglia, co-translator)
  • P.S. I Love You (Cecelia Ahern, translated)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Unadorned narrative voiceFrank psychological depiction from a female perspectiveColumn-like prose combining wit and irony
Recurring Motifs
Love and jealousyWomen's social positionNuances of everyday life and consumer culture

Legacy

Since the 1980s she has depicted the nuances of love and everyday life from a woman's perspective, winning major literary awards and having many works adapted for screen. She has held prominent institutional roles (Chairperson of the Japan Writers' Association, Chairperson of Nihon University) and has been a prominent public cultural figure, while controversies over university governance have also attracted attention.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Writers' Association
  • Japan PEN Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library bibliographic record

In Popular Culture

  • Many works adapted into TV dramas and films, permeating popular culture
  • Long-running essay serializations in weekly magazines have influenced a broad readership

Quotes

  • I want to write something that will remain for posterity.
    Source: Nikkei (interview at time of decoration) (2018)
  • She freed/exposed feelings of envy, spite, and jealousy.
    Source: Minako Saito, 'On Literary Idols' (criticism) (2002)

Trivia

  • After working as a copywriter, she debuted in 1982 with the essay collection 'Buy a Lunlun and Go Home.'
  • Winner of the 94th Naoki Prize (1986).
  • Decorated as Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) in 2011.
  • Her long-running essay series in Weekly Bunshun was recognized by Guinness World Records for the most essay appearances in the same magazine.
  • In 2020 she became the first female chairperson of the Japan Writers' Association and in 2022 the first female Chairperson of Nihon University.
  • In 2023 a third-party report criticized aspects of the university's response to a drug-related scandal in the football club, prompting public debate.