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Minae Mizumura

みずむら みなえ

Mizumura Minae

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1951 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Boston, United States → New Haven, Connecticut, United States → Princeton, New Jersey, United States → Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States → Stanford, California, United States

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Literary critic, University lecturer
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Princeton University, University of Michigan, Stanford University
Influenced By
Paul de Man, Natsume Sōseki, Emily Brontë

Education

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Country: United States
Attended/was resident during youth
Yale University
French Literature / Department of French
Period: 学部・大学院在籍
Country: United States
Enrolled in doctoral course in French literature; studied under Paul de Man.

Awards

Newcomer Prize (Japan Arts Festival)
1990
Work: Zoku Meian (Sequel to Meian)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: Winner
Noma Literary New Face Prize
1995
Work: Shishosetsu from left to right
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: Winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize
2003
Work: A True Novel
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: Winner
Kobayashi Hideo Award
2009
Work: The Fall of Language in the Age of English
Organization: Kobayashi Hideo Award Committee
Result: Winner
Osaragi Jirō Prize
2012
Work: Inheritance from Mother
Organization: Osaragi Jirō Prize Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Zoku Meian (Sequel to Meian)

1990 Novel

A long novel written as a creative sequel to Natsume Sōseki's unfinished Meian. It explores the development of characters' psychology and relationships and provoked debate in literary circles.

Dialogue with modern literatureAdaptation and inheritanceIdentity

Shishosetsu from left to right

1995 Novel

An experimental work mixing Roman letters and Japanese, written horizontally. It deals with personal memory and language consciousness.

Language and orthographyBoundaries between private and publicSelf-referentiality

A True Novel

2002 Novel

A major novel that reimagines Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights in postwar Japan. Through the characters' passions and social backdrop, it examines postwar Japanese society and literary form.

AdaptationLove and revengePostwar Japan
Translations
  • A True Novel, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (2013)

The Fall of Language in the Age of English

2008 Essay / Critical non-fiction

A critical essay discussing the impact of the global rise of English on the Japanese language and culture, raising questions about language education and cultural consciousness.

Language preservationGlobalization and cultureEducation
Translations
  • The Fall of Language in the Age of English, translated by Mari Yoshihara & Juliet Winters Carpenter (2015)

Reading in Japanese

2009 Essay / Critical non-fiction

A collection of essays on reading in Japanese, containing reflections on language and the experience of reading.

Reading theoryLanguage consciousness

Writing in Japanese

2009 Essay / Critical non-fiction

A collection of essays discussing the meaning and techniques of writing in Japanese, addressing the relationship between language and expression.

Theory of writingLanguage and expression

Inheritance from Mother

2012 Novel (newspaper serial)

A novel published as a newspaper serial focusing on family, memory, inheritance, and intergenerational relationships.

Family historyMemoryIntergenerational relationships
Translations
  • Inheritance from Mother, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (2017)

The Ambassador and His Wife

2024 Novel

A novel published in 2024 (in two volumes). See publisher information for details.

Bibliography

  • Zoku Meian (Sequel to Meian)
  • Shishosetsu from left to right
  • A True Novel
  • The Fall of Language in the Age of English
  • Reading in Japanese
  • Writing in Japanese
  • Inheritance from Mother
  • Letters with Bookmarks (Correspondence with Kunio Tsujii, co-authored)
  • The Ambassador and His Wife (volumes I & II)

Translations of Works

  • A True Novel, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (2013)
  • The Fall of Language in the Age of English, translated by Mari Yoshihara & Juliet Winters Carpenter (2015)
  • Inheritance from Mother, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Language-conscious proseDialogical method with modern literatureMetafictional and self-referential elements
Recurring Motifs
Language and identityAdaptation and intertextualityFamily and memory

Legacy

An important contemporary Japanese novelist and critic who stimulated debate about the future of the Japanese language and language consciousness. Her major novels such as A True Novel and critical works like The Fall of Language in the Age of English have been highly regarded both domestically and internationally.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • Library of Congress (holdings)
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (holdings)

Trivia

  • Moved to the United States at age 12 and lived there for many years.
  • Married to Katsuto Iwai, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo.
  • Her mother, Setsuko Mizumura, published an autobiographical novel at age 78.
  • Wrote a sequel to Natsume Sōseki's unfinished Meian titled Zoku Meian, which provoked debate.
  • By 2009, it was reported that all of her single-author books had received awards.