Shogakukan Bunko Novel Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (2008) award
Kazu Saiki
さいき かづ
Saiki Kazu
Aliases:
斎木香津
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1964-07-22 （Oita Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Mystery writer
- Active Years
- 2008-
- Influenced By
- Ruth Rendell
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yokohama City University | Faculty of Humanities and Sciences | — | 学士 | — | Japan |
Yokohama City University
Faculty of Humanities and Sciences
Degree:
学士
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shogakukan Bunko Novel Prize | Becoming a Thousand Flowers | — | Shogakukan | Winner |
Shogakukan Bunko Novel Prize
2008
Work:
Becoming a Thousand Flowers
Organization:
Shogakukan
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Becoming a Thousand Flowers
2008 MysteryDebut novel. A multi-perspective mystery set in a rural area that uncovers dark aspects and secrets of people.
familysecretsrevenge
Frozen Flower
2010 Mystery, SuspensePublished in 2010. A mystery novel that became a bestseller after being mentioned on Masahiro Nakai's radio show.
revengepast sinshuman psychology
Phantom Sleet
2013 MysteryA work containing mysterious and somewhat fantastic elements, positioned between short-story collection and novel.
fantasy elementshuman relationships
The Best Woman in Japan
2014 MysteryA work that incorporates Oita dialect and regional elements; notable for depictions rooted in the author's local background.
regional identitydialectfamily
The Hundred Years of the Isosaka Family
2015 Family saga / MysteryA long novel depicting human relationships and secrets through the history of a family.
family historysecretsintergenerational
Forty-Year-Old's Excuses
2016 FictionA human drama–oriented work themed around middle age.
middle ageself-understanding
Bones Sinking in the Swamp Do Not Speak of Love: Occupations Unsuitable for Psychics
2020 MysteryA paperback series entry (2020) that belongs to a series of works with recurring supernatural/mystery elements.
psychic powersprofessional ethics
A Queen Does Not Use Loneliness as an Excuse: Occupations Unsuitable for Psychics 2
2020 MysterySeries sequel. Features interlinked short stories where the everyday and the uncanny intersect.
lonelinesshidden side of everyday life
Bibliography
- Becoming a Thousand Flowers (2008)
- Frozen Flower (2010)
- Phantom Sleet (2013)
- The Best Woman in Japan (2014)
- The Hundred Years of the Isosaka Family (2015)
- Forty-Year-Old's Excuses (2016)
- Bones Sinking in the Swamp Do Not Speak of Love (2020)
- A Queen Does Not Use Loneliness as an Excuse (2020)
- So, For Whom Do You Kill? (2020)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- tense proseemphasis on psychological depictiondelicate depiction of regional landscapes
- Recurring Motifs
- family secretsregional dialecthidden side of everyday liferevenge
Legacy
As a contemporary Japanese mystery writer, she is recognized for making use of regional characteristics and meticulous psychological portrayals. The success of 'Frozen Flower' brought her a wider readership.
In Popular Culture
- In 2013 Masahiro Nakai mentioned 'Frozen Flower' on his radio show, which propelled it to #1 in Amazon's mystery category and generated widespread attention.
Quotes
-
People from rural areas have the advantage of being able to write the countryside naturally.
Source: WEB Kirala (interview) (2014)
Trivia
- Debut novel: 'Becoming a Thousand Flowers' (2008).
- Won the 9th Shogakukan Bunko Novel Prize in 2008.
- 'Kohaku Watch' was a finalist for the Japan Fantasy Novel Award in 2005 (as斎木香津).
- 'Frozen Flower' became a bestseller after being mentioned on Masahiro Nakai's radio show.
- Operates the Twitter account @saikikazu.