Bungakukai Newcomer Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 72 (1991) award
Yuko Midori
みどり ゆうこ
Midori Yuuko
Pen Names:
Midori Yuuko（Pen name used at debut and for early works）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1958-02-17 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan (birthplace) → United Kingdom (suburbs of London), resident since 1988
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Essayist, Author
- Active Years
- 1991-
- Influenced By
- Minako Saito (reviewer who featured and supported her work)
- Nominations
- 50th Japan Essayists' Club Award candidate (for 'The British Like "Ideals"')
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia University | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | 学士 | — | Japan |
Sophia University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Degree:
学士
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Bungakukai Newcomer Prize | Plants Crossing the Sea | — | Bungakukai | winner |
| 2002 | Japan Essayists' Club Award | The British Like 'Ideals' | — | Japan Essayists' Club | nominated |
Bungakukai Newcomer Prize
1991
Work:
Plants Crossing the Sea
Organization:
Bungakukai
Result:
winner
Japan Essayists' Club Award
2002
Work:
The British Like 'Ideals'
Organization:
Japan Essayists' Club
Result:
nominated
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Plants Crossing the Sea
1991 FictionDebut work using plants as a motif to explore cross-cultural and human relationships; won the Bungakukai Newcomer Prize in 1991.
plantsmigrationcross-cultural exchange
The Day of Releasing the Stork
1997 FictionPublished in 1997. A work that examines everyday life and family through observational perspective to probe universal themes.
familyeveryday lifeobservation
The British Like 'Ideals'
2002 EssayAn essay collection analyzing British society and culture from a Japanese perspective. It received attention in Japan and was a candidate for the 50th Japan Essayists' Club Award.
British culturecomparative valuesJapan–UK relations
The British Are Good at 'Tatemae'
2002 EssayAn essay discussing British social niceties and outward behaviour with humor and keen observation.
social facadesetiquettecultural comparison
Gossipy Brits
2003 EssayAn essay collection focusing on gossip and the subtleties of interpersonal relations observed in British society.
gossipsocial interactioncultural observation
Britons Who Pretend to Stay Young; Serious Japanese Aging — Tips for a Happy Later Life
2004 EssayA book comparing British and Japanese cultural attitudes toward aging and offering thoughts on living a fulfilling later life.
agingwell-beingcultural comparison
A Japan Unknown to Japanese — From the UK
2004 Non-fictionA reflective essay on Japan as seen from the vantage point of a Japan-residing author living in the UK.
perspective shiftJapanese abroadcomparative culture
Becoming a Plant and Observing Humans
2009 EssaysAn essay collection that adopts a plant's perspective to observe humans and society.
plantsobservationhuman nature
Bibliography
- The Day of Releasing the Stork (1997)
- The British Like 'Ideals' (2002)
- The British Are Good at 'Tatemae' (2002)
- Gossipy Brits (2003)
- Britons Who Pretend to Stay Young; Serious Japanese Aging (2004)
- A Japan Unknown to Japanese — From the UK (2004)
- Becoming a Plant and Observing Humans (2009)
- Plants Crossing the Sea (1991)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Witty, observant prose centered on Japan–UK cultural comparisonsEssayistic reflection combined with light humor
- Recurring Motifs
- plantsBritish social customsaging and everyday lifepublic façade vs private truth
Legacy
Since winning the Bungakukai Newcomer Prize in 1991, she has been known as a writer and essayist who offers Japan–UK cultural comparisons and plant-themed reflections from a UK-based perspective. Her essays on British society have received attention both in Japan and abroad.
Archives
- National Diet Library, Japan (authority ID: 00619373)
- VIAF (ID: 258470881)
- ISNI (0000000379735538)
Trivia
- Graduated from Sophia University, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature.
- Married a British photographer in 1988 and has lived in the suburbs of London.
- Won the Bungakukai Newcomer Prize in 1991 under the pen name 'Midori Yuuko' for 'Plants Crossing the Sea'.
- 'The British Like "Ideals"' was a candidate for the 50th Japan Essayists' Club Award.
- Her work was featured by Minako Saito in an Asahi Shimbun book review.