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Mari Mori

もり まり

Mori Mari

Pen Names: Mari (pen name)（Used as a pen name in essays and miscellanea）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1903-01-07 （Komagome Sendagi-cho, Hongo Ward, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1987-06-06 （Kyōdō, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan） age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Circa 1922: Lived in Paris, France → From 1947: Lived alone in Kyōdō, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Translator
Active Years
1920-1987
Influenced By
Mori Ogai, Shinpei Kusano, Muroo Saisei

Education

Futowa Higher Girls' School (now Shirayuri Gakuen Junior & Senior High School)
Period: 〜1919
Year of Graduation: 1919
Country: Japan

Awards

Japan Essayist Club Prize
1957
Work: Father's Hat
Organization: Japan Essayist Club
Result: 受賞
Tamura Toshiko Prize
1962
Work: Forest of Lovers
Organization: Tamura Toshiko Prize
Result: 受賞
Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize
1975
Work: The Room of Sweet Honey
Organization: Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Father's Hat

1957 Essay

A collection of reminiscences focused on her father, Mori Ogai. The essays present childhood memories, family scenes, and an aestheticized portrait of Ogai.

familymemoryreminiscences of Ogai Moriaestheticism

Forest of Lovers

1961 Novel

A novel blending love and fantastical elements, finely depicting characters' psychology and aesthetic sensibilities. One of the works awarded the Tamura Toshiko Prize.

lovefantasypsychological interiority

The Bed of Fallen Leaves

1962 Short story collection

A collection of short stories characterized by themes of solitude, loss, and aestheticized scenes.

solitudelossaestheticism

Lavish Poverty

1963 Essays

An essay collection that wittily and aesthetically treats the contradiction of preferring luxury while living in poverty.

daily lifeaesthetic sensehumor

The Room of Sweet Honey

1975 Novel

A novel reflecting strong aesthetic sensibilities, portraying love, desire, and the inner world of women; it won the Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize.

desireinner life of womenaestheticism

Bibliography

  • Father's Hat
  • Sound of Shoes
  • Dusky Gray Fish
  • Forest of Lovers
  • The Bed of Fallen Leaves
  • Lavish Poverty
  • Pictures of Memory
  • My World of Beauty
  • The Room of Sweet Honey
  • Mari Mori: Romance and Essays (6 vols)
  • Complete Works of Mari Mori (8 vols)

Translations by Author

  • Mademoiselle Loulou (translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
aesthetic (decadent) proseelegant and precise descriptionfantastical imageryfrank and caustic essays
Recurring Motifs
memory and reminiscencefamily (especially father)food and cooking sceneswomen's aesthetics and love

Health

  • Heart attack
    1979-1985
    Hospitalizations and interruption of serializations; affected her writing activity.
  • Heart failure
    1987-06 (死去)
    Died of heart failure in June 1987; found dead alone in her apartment.

Legacy

Mari Mori is regarded as a novelist and essayist with a distinctive aesthetic prose and keen sensibility. She left a body of work notable for reminiscences of her father Mori Ogai and vivid food-writing; collected editions and studies of her work continue to be published.

Archives

  • Chikuma Shobo: archives related to the 'Mari Mori Complete Works'

In Popular Culture

  • Fumiko Enchi's novel 'Haien' is said to include a character modeled on Mari Mori.

Quotes

  • A person who remained like a child even after growing up.
    Source: Biographical note / general commentary (unspecified)
  • My life may be messy, but I can take pride in my cooking.
    Source: Essay (general reference)

Trivia

  • Born as the eldest daughter of the writer Mori Ogai.
  • Renowned for her cooking skills; many essays include food-writing.
  • Reportedly suffered financial hardship in later life and was found dead alone.
  • Hospitalized for heart attacks between 1979 and 1985.