Japanese Literary Awards

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Sumiko Yokokawa

よこかわ すみこ

Yokokawa Sumiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1953-03-01 （Kyoto）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English

Career

Occupations
English and American literature scholar, Children's literature researcher, Literary critic, University professor, Translator
Active Years
1976-
Affiliations
Osaka International Institute for Children's Literature (specialist), Mimasaka Women's University (associate professor, later professor), Tezukayama Gakuin University (associate professor, later professor)
Influenced By
L. M. Montgomery

Education

Kyoto University
Faculty of Letters (English Department) / English Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1972-1976
Year of Graduation: 1976
Country: Japan
Kyoto Women's University, Graduate School
Graduate School of Home Economics / Home Economics
Degree: 修士
Period: 1977-1979
Year of Graduation: 1979
Country: Japan
Completed master's program

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award
1991
Work: Menarche as a Trump Card
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Society of Children's Literature Encouragement Award
1994
Work: The Challenge of Anne of Green Gables
Organization: Japan Society of Children's Literature
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Menarche as a Trump Card

1991 Research / Criticism

A feminist critique of children's literature focusing on girls' bodies and culture. Uses the theme of menarche to discuss the social meanings of girlhood.

FeminismGirlhoodCorporeality

The Challenge of Anne of Green Gables

1994 Research / Criticism

An examination of Anne of Green Gables focusing on retellings, translations, and the cultural impact of the work from feminist perspectives.

RetellingTranslation studiesFeminism

Children's Literature Studies, and Beyond (co-edited)

2007 Edited volume / Research

A co-edited collection discussing the state and future directions of children's literature studies.

Children's literature studiesInterdisciplinary approaches

Bibliography

  • Menarche as a Trump Card (JICC Publishing, 1991)
  • The Challenge of Anne of Green Gables (Takarajima, 1994)
  • Children's Literature Studies, and Beyond (co-edited, Hisayama-sha, 2007)
  • Children's Literature That Became Films (co-author, Tamagawa University Press, 2015)

Translations by Author

  • Little Red Riding Hood and the Forest (Jack Zipes, co-translator, A-Unsha, 1990)
  • The Stolen Oleomargarine Prince (Mark Twain et al., co-translator, Fukuinkan Shoten, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly and critical styleLogical and precise argumentationInterpretations informed by feminist perspectives
Recurring Motifs
Girlhood and the bodyIssues of retelling and translationFeminist readings

Legacy

Recognized for linking children's literature studies with feminist perspectives. As an educator she mentored many students and contributed to the dissemination of children's literature research.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Society of Children's Literature
  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • Materials and holdings in the National Diet Library

Trivia

  • Born March 1953 in Kyoto.
  • Won the Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award in 1991 for Menarche as a Trump Card.
  • Won the Japan Society of Children's Literature Encouragement Award in 1994 for The Challenge of Anne of Green Gables.
  • Worked at the Osaka International Institute for Children's Literature and taught at Mimasaka Women's University and Tezukayama Gakuin University.
  • Has worked as a co-translator on works by Jack Zipes and Mark Twain.