Subaru Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 45 (2021) award
Mimi Nagai
ながい みみ
Nagai Mimi
Pen Names:
Mimi Nagai（Pen name used for literary publications）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1965 （Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (birthplace) → Chiba Prefecture, Japan (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Care manager
- Active Years
- 2021-
- Nominations
- 35th Mishima Yukio Prize nominee (2022, 'Sewing Machine and Goldfish'), 44th Noma Literary Newcomer Prize nominee (2022, 'Sewing Machine and Goldfish')
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Subaru Literary Prize | Sewing Machine and Goldfish | — | Shueisha (Subaru editorial department) | Winner |
Subaru Literary Prize
2021
Work:
Sewing Machine and Goldfish
Organization:
Shueisha (Subaru editorial department)
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Sewing Machine and Goldfish
2021 NovelA debut work written while the author worked as a care manager. Through fragments of daily life and caregiving scenes, the collection delicately portrays memory, loneliness, and intergenerational relationships.
CaregivingMemoryEveryday lifeLonelinessIntergenerational relationships
Jonikuro
2023 NovelPublished in 2023. The author described the protagonist as "a boy who had always lived inside me," and the work explores inner figures, memory, and questions of identity.
IdentityComing of ageMemoryInner life
Bibliography
- Sewing Machine and Goldfish (Book, 2022, Shueisha)
- Sewing Machine and Goldfish (published in Subaru, 2021)
- Jonikuro (2023, Shueisha)
- Fukuge. (Essay, Seishun to Dokusho, Jan 2022)
- With Corona (Essay, Gunzo, Feb 2022)
- Red Ears (Essay/Review, Shincho, Apr 2022)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Calm, restrained proseAttention to everyday detailFocus on characters' inner lives
- Recurring Motifs
- Sewing machines / sewingGoldfishAging / caregivingBoy figures
Legacy
A debut author who gained attention after winning the 45th Subaru Literary Prize for work noted for delicate depictions of caregiving settings. She was shortlisted for multiple literary prizes and brings a fresh perspective to contemporary fiction.
Quotes
-
The protagonist was a boy who had always lived inside me.
Source: Shueisha Literary Station (publication commemoration interview) (2023)
Trivia
- She wrote while working as a care manager (care support specialist).
- Her debut 'Sewing Machine and Goldfish' won the 45th Subaru Literary Prize.