Japanese Literary Awards

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Kikuko Tsumura

つむら きくこ

Tsumura Kikuko

Pen Names: Kikuko Tsumura（Writes under her own name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1978-01-23 （Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer
Active Years
2005-
Influenced By
Kurt Vonnegut, G. K. Chesterton
Nominations
138th Akutagawa Prize nominee — 'Kasouski no Yukue' (2008), 139th Akutagawa Prize nominee — 'Wedding, Funeral, and Others' (2008)

Education

Otani University
Faculty of Letters / Department of International Cultural Studies
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Graduated

Awards

Dazai Osamu Prize
2005
Work: Man-Eater (later retitled 'You Are Forever Younger Than Them')
Organization: Dazai Osamu Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Noma Literary Newcomer Award
2008
Work: Music Bless You!!
Organization: Noma Literary Newcomer Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Sakuya Konohana Prize
2008
Category: 文芸その他部門
Organization: Sakuya Konohana Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Akutagawa Prize
2009
Work: Pothoslime's Boat
Organization: Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Oda Sakunosuke Prize
2011
Work: Workers' Digest
Organization: Oda Sakunosuke Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize
2013
Work: The Water Tower and the Turtle
Organization: Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (New Artist)
2016
Work: There Are No Easy Jobs in This World
Organization: Art Encouragement Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize
2017
Work: Floating Spirit Brazil
Organization: Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Drunken Booksellers' Award
2017
Work: Alegria Can't Work
Organization: Drunken Booksellers' Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Ekinaka Bookstore Grand Prize
2018
Work: I'll Get Home Anyway
Organization: Ekinaka Bookstore Grand Prize Selection Committee
Result: 候補
Soccer Book Grand Prize
2019
Work: This Is the Day
Organization: Soccer Book Grand Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize
2023
Work: Nene of the Watermill
Organization: Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

You Are Forever Younger Than Them

2005 Short story collection / Fiction

A collection of early short stories including her debut piece; portrays social life and youth with wry humor and steady observation.

workplaceyoutheveryday lifehumor

The Whereabouts of Kasowski

2008 Novel

A novel examining delicate human psychology and the relationships of people on the margins of society.

human relationshipslonelinesssocial margins

Music Bless You!!

2008 Short story collection

A collection of short stories about music and everyday scenes; features a light, witty narrative voice.

musiceveryday lifewomen

Pothoslime's Boat

2009 Short story collection / Fiction

A volume centered on stories about workplaces and human relationships; includes the award-winning piece.

workplacehuman relationscontemporary life

Workers' Digest

2011 Novel

Depicts the daily life and contradictions of working people; centered on perspectives from the workplace.

laborsocietywomen

There Are No Easy Jobs in This World

2015 Essays / Nonfiction-style

A collection based on workplace experiences that explores the difficulty of working; includes essay-like linked pieces.

workcontemporary societyself-observation

Floating Spirit Brazil

2016 Short story collection / Fiction

A collection portraying varied characters and urban life; mixes humor with critical observation.

urban lifeindividualssatire

Nene of the Watermill

2023 Novel

A novel published after serialization; notable for its perspectives on provincial life and everyday observation.

regional lifememoryfamily

Bibliography

  • You Are Forever Younger Than Them
  • The Whereabouts of Kasowski
  • Music Bless You!!
  • Wedding, Funeral, and Others
  • Alegria Can't Work
  • Hachiban-suji Council
  • Pothoslime's Boat
  • Workers' Digest
  • No Decent Child Comes from a Good Home
  • I'll Get Home Anyway
  • West Wing
  • I'm Going to Pray Now
  • Posuke
  • Everything Flows
  • There Are No Easy Jobs in This World
  • Floating Spirit Brazil
  • This Is the Day
  • Saki's Lost Possession
  • All the Houses of a Boring Residential Area
  • Self-Study Notes on Modern Life
  • Nene of the Watermill
  • The Lie Concierge

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, clear narrativehumor combined with cool observationa focus on contemporary society
Recurring Motifs
work and laborfemale perspectivesKansai/Osaka settingseveryday dissonance

Legacy

Highly regarded as a contemporary Japanese writer who depicts labor and women's lives; winner of multiple major literary prizes. Noted for Kansai perspectives and a humorous, observant style.

Trivia

  • Enjoys watching sports (international soccer, road racing, figure skating).
  • Initially worked as a company employee while writing, often splitting sleep into two periods to write.
  • Born in Osaka; many works feature Kansai dialect and settings.
  • Debut piece was 'Man-Eater', later retitled 'You Are Forever Younger Than Them'.