Dazai Osamu Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 29 (2013) award
Kei Iwaki
いわき けい
Iwaki Kei
Pen Names:
KS Iwaki（Pen name used at time of winning the Dazai Osamu Prize (KS reportedly stands for 'cowrie shell')）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1971-01-01 （Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Osaka City (birthplace) → New South Wales, Australia (early period in Australia) → Victoria, Australia (resident as of 2013)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist
- Active Years
- 2013-
- Nominations
- Akutagawa Prize nominee (150th, Goodbye, Orange), Noma Literary Newcomer Award nominee (37th, Masato)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University in Japan | — | — | 学士 | — | Japan |
| South West Institute of TAFE (SW TAFE) | Visual Arts (Diploma) | — | Diploma | — | Australia |
University in Japan
Degree:
学士
Country:
Japan
Graduated from a university in Japan (specific institution not provided in source)
South West Institute of TAFE (SW TAFE)
Visual Arts (Diploma)
Degree:
Diploma
Country:
Australia
Completed a Visual Arts diploma at SW TAFE in New South Wales
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dazai Osamu Prize | Goodbye, Orange | — | Chikuma Shobo | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Oe Kenzaburo Prize | Goodbye, Orange | — | Oe Kenzaburo Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Tsubota Jouji Literary Prize | Masato | — | Tsubota Jouji Literary Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Mishima Yukio Prize | Goodbye, Orange | — | Mishima Yukio Prize Committee | 候補 |
| 2015 | Noma Literary Newcomer Award (nominee) | Masato | — | Noma Literary Foundation | 候補 |
Dazai Osamu Prize
2013
Work:
Goodbye, Orange
Organization:
Chikuma Shobo
Result:
受賞
Oe Kenzaburo Prize
2014
Work:
Goodbye, Orange
Organization:
Oe Kenzaburo Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Tsubota Jouji Literary Prize
2016
Work:
Masato
Organization:
Tsubota Jouji Literary Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Mishima Yukio Prize
2014
Work:
Goodbye, Orange
Organization:
Mishima Yukio Prize Committee
Result:
候補
Noma Literary Newcomer Award (nominee)
2015
Work:
Masato
Organization:
Noma Literary Foundation
Result:
候補
Awards & Nominations
Oe Kenzaburo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (2014) award
Tsubota Joji Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (2016) award
Works
Major Works
Goodbye, Orange
2013 FictionA collection of stories that sensitively depict women and migrants caught between English and Japanese, exploring identity and displacement.
migrationidentitylanguage
Masato
2015 FictionA novel portraying interpersonal relationships and inner turmoil, engaging with linguistic nuance and generational gaps between Japanese and English.
familygenerationslanguage
Japan Trip
2017 FictionThrough characters traveling between Japan and abroad, the book explores belonging and the boundaries between tourism and migration.
belongingtravelcultural friction
Matt
2018 FictionA work that reexamines identity through personal memory and miscommunications with others.
memorymisunderstandingself-exploration
Sanctuary
2020 FictionA series of stories about places conceived as sanctuaries or refuges.
refugesanctuarysense of place
Sound Post
2022 FictionA work that uses sound and linguistic dissonance as clues to depict subtle rifts in human relationships.
soundlanguagerelationships
Bibliography
- Goodbye, Orange (2013)
- Masato (2015)
- Japan Trip (2017)
- Matt (2018)
- Sanctuary (2020)
- Sound Post (2022)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Delicate psychological描写Detailed depiction of everyday lifeWriting that leverages linguistic sensibility
- Recurring Motifs
- migration and expatriate lifefamily relationslanguage and identity
Legacy
Gained attention after winning the Dazai Osamu Prize; praised for works addressing migration, language, and identity, characterized by depictions informed by overseas living experience.
Archives
- National Diet Library of Japan (holds publications)
Trivia
- The 'KS' in the pen name KS Iwaki is reportedly from 'cowrie shell'.
- Debuted as a novelist after winning the 29th Dazai Osamu Prize for 'Goodbye, Orange'.
- Moved to Australia after graduating from university in Japan and lived there for about 20 years.
- Worked various jobs including insurance office work, manual translation, and Japanese language tutoring.