Japanese Literary Awards

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Kyoko Nakajima

なかじま きょうこ

Nakajima Kyoko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-03-23 （Suginami, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Suginami, Tokyo, Japan → Wako, Saitama, Japan → Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist
Active Years
2003-
Nominations
Noma Literary New Face Award (nominee, 2003), Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (nominee, 2006, 'Ito no koi'), Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (nominee, 2007, 'Kin-chan's Disappearance'), Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (nominee, 2008, 'Kan-kon-sou-sai')

Education

Kyoritsu Joshi Daini High School
Country: Japan
Tokyo Woman's Christian University
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences / Department of History
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Graduated

Awards

Naoki Prize
2010
Work: The Little House
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Hiroshima Book Award
2011
Work: Habutetoru Habutetoran
Organization: Hiroshima Book Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
2014
Work: When My Wife Was a Shiitake
Organization: Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Kawai Hayao Monogatari Prize
2015
Work: Katadzu no!
Organization: Kawai Hayao Monogatari Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Historical Period Writers Club Prize
2015
Work: Katadzu no!
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Historical Period Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Chuo Koron Literary Prize
2015
Work: A Long Goodbye
Organization: Chuo Koronsha
Result: 受賞
Shibata Renzaburo Prize
2015
Work: Katadzu no!
Organization: Shibata Renzaburo Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Medical Novel Award
2016
Work: A Long Goodbye
Organization: Japan Medical Novel Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize
2020
Work: The Dreaming Imperial Library
Organization: Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award)
2022
Work: Moonlight In / Yasashii Neko (Gentle Cat)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
2022
Work: Yasashii Neko (Gentle Cat)
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

FUTON

2003 Novel

Debut work. A novel that delicately depicts everyday scenes and characters.

everyday lifecharacter portraitbeginnings

The Little House

2010 Novel

A story centered on a household in the early Showa era. It explores memory and generational gaps.

familymemoryShowa-era Japan
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Little House / 山田洋次 (2014)

Katadzu no!

2014 Novel

A novel that weaves local history and the lives of its characters.

local communityhistoryhuman relationships

A Long Goodbye

2015 Novel

A quiet examination of parting, aging, and family bonds.

farewellagingfamily
Adaptations
  • [Film] A Long Goodbye / 中野量太 (2019)

The Dreaming Imperial Library

2019 Novel

A novel set in a library that explores history and memory.

libraryhistorymemory

Moonlight In

2021 Novel

A work about human relationships and loneliness in the city.

urban lifelonelinessencounters

Yasashii Neko (Gentle Cat)

2021 Novel

A story that depicts kindness and everyday life through the relationship between cats and people.

animalscoexistencekindness
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Yasashii Neko (2023)

Bibliography

  • FUTON (2003)
  • Ito no koi (2005)
  • Goodbye, Kotatsu (2005)
  • Kin-chan's Disappearance (2006)
  • Kan-kon-sou-sai (2007)
  • Habutetoru Habutetoran (2008)
  • The Little House (2010)
  • A Long Goodbye (2015)
  • The Dreaming Imperial Library (2019)
  • Moonlight In (2021)
  • Yasashii Neko (Gentle Cat) (2021)

Adaptations

  • The Little House (film adaptation, 2014)
  • A Long Goodbye (film adaptation, 2019)
  • Yasashii Neko (TV drama, 2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gentle narrative voicedetailed depictions of everyday lifeweaving history and memory
Recurring Motifs
familymemoryhouse/domestic spaceshousehold objectscats

Legacy

A widely known writer whose Naoki Prize and other major awards, as well as film and TV adaptations, brought her broader recognition. Her works, which address family, everyday life and history, have reached a wide readership and influenced popular media.

In Popular Culture

  • The film adaptation of 'The Little House' was entered into the Berlin International Film Festival, attracting international attention.

Trivia

  • She grew up in an academic household: her father Nakajima Showa was an emeritus professor of French literature at Chuo University, and her mother Nakajima Kimiko was a professor of French literature at Meiji University.
  • 'The Little House' was adapted into a film by director Yoji Yamada and screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.
  • Her older sister is essayist Saori Nakajima.