Bunkamura Deux Magots Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (2018) award
Kura Sasara
くら ささら
Kura Sasara
Pen Names:
Kura Sasara（Used for picture-book texts and children's books）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1968-01-01 （Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- tanka poet, picture-book author, writer
- Active Years
- 2018-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aoyama Gakuin University, Faculty of Letters | Faculty of Letters | Department of English and American Literature | — | — | Japan |
Aoyama Gakuin University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of English and American Literature
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bunkamura Dumago Literary Prize | God's Address | — | Bunkamura | winner |
| 2010 | Tanka Kenkyu Newcomer Prize | — | — | Tanka Kenkyu (magazine) | runner-up |
Bunkamura Dumago Literary Prize
2018
Work:
God's Address
Organization:
Bunkamura
Result:
winner
Tanka Kenkyu Newcomer Prize
2010
Organization:
Tanka Kenkyu (magazine)
Result:
runner-up
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
God's Address
2018 ProseA prose work infused with tanka sensibilities. It collects short and mid-length pieces where everyday life intersects with the mystical, exploring the limits and possibilities of language.
divinityeveryday lifememorylanguage
Bird at the Edge of Dreams
2018 Tanka and proseA collection of tanka and lyrical prose. It drifts along the boundary between dream and waking, depicting poetic scenes and moods.
dreamsliminalitytankalyrical prose
Vanishing Things
2019 Tanka and proseA poetic collection centered on tanka, blending tanka and short narratives that open doors to the extraordinary.
the extraordinarytankafantasyloss
The Secret Excursion: The Golden Desert
2022 Picture bookIllustrated by Tatsuaki Kiuchi. A picture book about a child's secret excursion, celebrating adventure and imagination.
adventureimaginationfriendshipnature
Where Does the Hundred-Yen Coin Go?
2023 Picture bookIllustrated by Yuji Takahashi. A gentle children's story using a small everyday incident—the journey of a 100-yen coin—as its motif.
everyday lifediscoverychildrensmall things
Cook Cook Cook Restaurant
2023 Picture bookIllustrated by Maiko Take. A playful picture book set around cooking and a restaurant.
foodplayimagination
Jitta and Zensuke: A Journey for Two
2023 Picture bookIllustrated by Takashi Kurihara. A children's picture book depicting friendship and discoveries through a journey of two characters.
friendshipjourneydiscovery
Bibliography
- God's Address (Asahi Publishing, 2018)
- Bird at the Edge of Dreams (Shoshi Kankanbo, 2018)
- Vanishing Things (Shinchosha, 2019)
- The Secret Excursion: The Golden Desert (Fukuinkan Shoten, 2022; illus. Tatsuaki Kiuchi)
- Where Does the Hundred-Yen Coin Go? (Fukuinkan Shoten, 2023; illus. Yuji Takahashi)
- Cook Cook Cook Restaurant (Fukuinkan Shoten, 2023; illus. Maiko Take)
- Jitta and Zensuke: A Journey for Two (Fukuinkan Shoten, 2023; illus. Takashi Kurihara)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- A distinctive style that incorporates the concision of tanka into proseUses layered imagery and negative space
- Recurring Motifs
- divinitydreamsmemoryfragments of daily life
Legacy
Known for prose and picture books that draw on tanka sensibilities, Kura Sasara gained wider attention after winning the 2018 Bunkamura Dumago Literary Prize. Her work crosses children's literature and lyrical prose, and she has recently been active in picture books.
Quotes
-
Being unable to put things into words is a defeat.
Source: Koshokujitsu (Asahi Shimbun) interview (2018)
Trivia
- Real name is not publicly disclosed; picture-book texts are credited as the hiragana form "くら ささら".
- Began composing tanka independently around 2009 and was selected as runner-up for the Tanka Kenkyu Newcomer Prize in 2010.
- Shares activity updates via an Ameba Blog.