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Yumiko Kurahashi

くらはし ゆみこ

Kurahashi Yumiko

Pen Names: Yumiko Kurahashi（Used as pen name/maiden name for publications）, Yumiko Kumagai（Married name (private life). Published primarily under Kurahashi.）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1935-10-10 （Tosayamada, Kami District, Kochi Prefecture, Japan (now Kami)）
Died
2005-06-10 （Tokyo, Japan） age 69
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tosayamada (now Kami), Kochi Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → United States (Iowa) - studied at Iowa State University

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Essayist, Dental hygienist
Active Years
1960-2005
Influenced By
Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Ango Sakaguchi, Yukio Mishima, Ken'ichi Yoshida, Jean-Paul Sartre, Yasunari Kawabata, Junzaburo Nishiwaki, Michel Butor
Nominations
Akutagawa Prize nominee ('Partai', 1960), Akutagawa Prize nominee ('Natsu no Owari' / 'Summer's End')

Education

Tosa Middle School & High School (private)
Period: 1950s
Country: Japan
Kyoto Women's University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Period: 1950s（在籍）
Country: Japan
Attended while also preparing for medical school entrance exams (kamen-rojin)
Japan Women's Hygiene Junior College, Dental Hygiene course
Dental Hygiene course
Period: 1950s-1960s
Country: Japan
Passed the national dental hygienist examination
Meiji University, Faculty of Letters and Graduate School of Letters (withdrew)
Faculty of Letters / Graduate School of Letters / Department of French Literature
Period: 1960年頃 - 1962年（大学院中退）
Country: Japan
Published 'Partai' while a student (received Meiji University President's Award); withdrew from graduate school after her father's death

Awards

Meiji University President's Award
1960
Work: Partai
Organization: Meiji University
Result: 受賞
Women's Literary Award
1961
Work: Partai
Result: 受賞
Tamura Toshiko Award
1962
Result: 受賞
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
1987
Work: Amanon: A Travelogue
Result: 受賞
Manbou Prize
1987
Work: Amanon: A Travelogue
Result: 受賞
Meiji University Special Contribution Award
2006
Organization: Meiji University
Result: 受賞（追贈）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Partai

1960 Short story (collection)

A collection of short pieces published while Kurahashi was a student. Noted for its experimental, abstract style and regarded as her breakthrough.

studentsselfexperimental proseabstraction
Translations
  • Partial English translations appear in anthologies and collections

Holy Girl

1965 Novel

A novel treating incest between father and daughter; the work provoked controversy at the time of publication.

incestfamilytaboopsychology

The Adventures of Sumiyakist Q

1969 Novel (fantastical / Kafkaesque)

A fantastical novel with Kafkaesque absurdity and allegorical elements; notable for blending imagination with fable.

fantasyallegoryabsurdityidentity
Translations
  • English translation 'The Adventures of Sumiyakist Q' (tr. Dennis Keene), University of Queensland Press, 1979

The Floating Bridge of Dreams

1971 Novel

The starting point of the 'Keiko' series; established a cycle of linked stories in which dream and reality intersect.

dreamsfemale protagonistlinked storiesGenji-like motifs

Amanon: A Travelogue

1986 Novel

An allegorical, rhetorically rich novel that won the Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize in 1987.

mythallegoryjourneysociety
Translations
  • German translation 'Die Reise nach Amanon' (tr. Monika Wernitz-Sugimoto & Hiroshi Yamane), be.bra Verlag, 2006

Cruel Fairy Tales for Adults

1984 Short story collection

A best-selling collection of allegorical, often dark fairy tales aimed at adults.

children's-tale motifscrueltyallegoryadult perspective

Bibliography

  • Partai (1960)
  • Dark Journey (1961)
  • Holy Girl (1965)
  • The Adventures of Sumiyakist Q (1969)
  • The Floating Bridge of Dreams (1971)
  • Castle Within a Castle (1980)
  • Cruel Fairy Tales for Adults (1984)
  • Symposium (1985)
  • Amanon: A Travelogue (1986)
  • Popoi (1987)
  • Kōkan / Exchange (1989)
  • A Dream's Path (1989)
  • Gallery of Fantastic Paintings (1991)
  • Return via Yomotsu-hirasaka (2002)

Translations by Author

  • Translations of children's books such as works by Shel Silverstein (from the 1970s)
  • New Japanese translation of 'The Little Prince' (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) (2005, posthumous publication)

Translations of Works

  • 'The Adventures of Sumiyakist Q' (tr. Dennis Keene), University of Queensland Press, 1979
  • 'The Woman with the Flying Head and Other Stories' (tr. Atsuko Sakaki), M. E. Sharpe, 1998
  • 'Die Reise nach Amanon' (German translation), be.bra Verlag, 2006

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Abstract, allegorical styleExperimental, avant-garde proseOccasional use of historical kana orthographyLearned/erudite tendencies (sometimes perceived as showy scholarship)
Recurring Motifs
interplay of dream and realityfamily and incestuous relationshipsfemale protagonists (Keiko-series)motifs from myth, The Tale of Genji, Noh and Greek tragedydepiction of bourgeois lifeabsurdity and allegory

Health

  • Gastrointestinal problems and low blood pressure
    1960年代（断続的）
    Led to declining the Fulbright study opportunity and intermittent restrictions on writing activity
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy
    2005年（死没）
    Cause of death on 2005-06-10

Legacy

Yumiko Kurahashi gained recognition from the 1960s for a distinctive abstract and allegorical voice, showing experimentalism rare among Japanese women writers. Her work spans short fiction, novels and translations; she has continued to be the subject of retrospectives and posthumous honors.

Museums

  • Meiji University Retrospective Exhibition for Yumiko Kurahashi Meiji University Library (Tokyo, Japan) Opened in 2006

Archives

  • Meiji University Library (Kurahashi Yumiko archival materials)

In Popular Culture

  • The 'Keiko' series is known as a cycle of linked works and has been a subject of literary study and reader interest

Trivia

  • Originally trained and certified as a dental hygienist and worked part-time in Tokyo after moving there.
  • One of the early adopters among Japanese writers to use word processors for composition in the 1980s.
  • Her final published work was a new Japanese translation of 'The Little Prince' (2005), released posthumously.
  • Works such as 'Holy Girl' provoked controversy on publication due to sensational subject matter.
  • Became prominent while at Meiji University after publishing 'Partai', receiving the university president's award and an Akutagawa Prize nomination.