Kodansha Essay Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1997) award
Mari Yonehara
よねはら まり
Yonehara Mari
Pen Names:
Shimonetta Dodge（Nickname used among close friends; reflects her taste for puns and risqué humor）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1950-04-29 （St. Luke's International Hospital, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 2006-05-25 （Home in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan） age 56
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, Russian
- Religion
- Buddhism
- Residence History
- Chūō, Tokyo, Japan → Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) → Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Simultaneous interpreter, Essayist, Non-fiction writer, Novelist, Translator, Educator
- Active Years
- 1986-2006
- Affiliations
- Russian Interpreters Association (founding participant; first secretary; later president), Japanese PEN Club (Executive Director)
- Memberships
- Japanese PEN Club, Russian Interpreters Association
- Influenced By
- Karl Marx, Nikolai Nekrasov
- Influenced
- Yu Sato, Younger simultaneous interpreters
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meisei Gakuen High School | — | — | — | 1966-1969 | Japan |
| Sakakibara Dance Academy (Folk Dance Department) | — | Folk Dance Department | — | 1969-1971 | Japan |
| Tokyo University of Foreign Studies | Faculty of Foreign Studies | Russian Department | 学士 (Bachelor) | 1971-1975 | Japan |
| Graduate School of Humanities, The University of Tokyo | Graduate School of Humanities | Russian Language and Literature | 修士 (Master's) | 1976-1978 | Japan |
Meisei Gakuen High School
Period:
1966-1969
Year of Graduation:
1969
Country:
Japan
Graduated from high school
Sakakibara Dance Academy (Folk Dance Department)
Folk Dance Department
Period:
1969-1971
Country:
Japan
Left before completion
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Faculty of Foreign Studies
/ Russian Department
Degree:
学士 (Bachelor)
Period:
1971-1975
Year of Graduation:
1975
Country:
Japan
Major in Russian
Graduate School of Humanities, The University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities
/ Russian Language and Literature
Degree:
修士 (Master's)
Period:
1976-1978
Year of Graduation:
1978
Country:
Japan
Completed master's program
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Japan Women Broadcasters Association Award (SJ Award) | — | — | Japan Women Broadcasters Association | Winner |
| 1995 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | False Beauty or Chaste Ugly Woman | 随筆・紀行賞 | Yomiuri Shimbun | Winner |
| 1997 | Kodansha Essay Award | A Dozen Witches | エッセイ賞 | Kodansha | Winner |
| 2002 | Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Prize | The Red Truth of Lying Anya | — | Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Prize Committee | Winner |
| 2003 | Bunkamura Dumago Literature Prize | Olga Morisovna's Rhetoric | — | Bunkamura | Winner |
Japan Women Broadcasters Association Award (SJ Award)
1992
Organization:
Japan Women Broadcasters Association
Result:
Winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1995
Work:
False Beauty or Chaste Ugly Woman
Category:
随筆・紀行賞
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
Winner
Kodansha Essay Award
1997
Work:
A Dozen Witches
Category:
エッセイ賞
Organization:
Kodansha
Result:
Winner
Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Prize
2002
Work:
The Red Truth of Lying Anya
Organization:
Ōya Sōichi Nonfiction Prize Committee
Result:
Winner
Bunkamura Dumago Literature Prize
2003
Work:
Olga Morisovna's Rhetoric
Organization:
Bunkamura
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 33 (2002) award
Bunkamura Deux Magots Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (2003) award
Works
Major Works
False Beauty or Chaste Ugly Woman
1994 Essays / TravelA collection of essays blending her experiences in Russia and Eastern Europe with perspectives from her work as an interpreter. Noted for sharp observation and humor.
Cross-cultural experienceLanguageTravel writingHumor
Translations
- Chinese edition (translated title varies)
A Dozen Witches
1996 EssayA 13-chapter essay collection that takes a brisk, often ironic look at notions of justice and common sense.
Social critiqueHumorEveryday observation
Translations
- Korean edition 'Manyeo-ui Han Daseu' (A Dozen Witches)
The Red Truth of Lying Anya
2001 Non-fictionA reportage-style non-fiction work tracing the fates of childhood friends from Prague and depicting the realities of ethnicity, religion, and conflict in Eastern Europe.
FriendshipEastern European historyImpact of conflictMemory and reunion
Translations
- Korean edition 'Prague's Girlhood' (translation of the book)
Olga Morisovna's Rhetoric
2002 NovelA novel set against the backdrop of the Soviet Union, following the extraordinary fate of a gifted dancer through the eyes of the elderly Olga Morisovna.
FateSoviet historyDanceDuality
Russia in Turmoil
1998 Non-fiction / ReportageReports on post-perestroika Russia, combining on-the-ground experience from her work as an interpreter with reportage.
PoliticsSocial changeRussia studies
The Minus 50°C World
1986 Children's non-fiction / TravelA travel book for younger readers about life in extreme cold regions such as Yakutsk, based on her Siberian reporting.
NaturePolar regionsField reporting
Bibliography
- False Beauty or Chaste Ugly Woman
- A Dozen Witches
- Russia in Turmoil
- Gasenetta & Simonetta
- The Red Truth of Lying Anya
- Midnight Sun
- Won't You Keep the Male of the Species?
- Traveler's Breakfast
- Olga Morisovna's Rhetoric
- The Midday Starry Sky
- The Dignity of Underwear
- Techniques of Unfailingly Funny Short Tales
- Proverb Anthropology - Proverbs of the World
- A Truly Overwhelming Book
- Invention Maniac
Translations by Author
- My Language Learning Method (Lomb Kató) — translated by Mari Yonehara
Translations of Works
- 'The Red Truth of Lying Anya' → Korean edition 'Prague's Girlhood'
- 'A Dozen Witches' → Korean edition 'Manyeo-ui Han Daseu'
- 'False Beauty or Chaste Ugly Woman' → Chinese translations (title varies by edition)
- 'Traveler's Breakfast' → Chinese edition (Nanhai Publishing)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Witty and ironic voiceReportage-style descriptions grounded in field experienceFrank, brisk essayistic tone
- Recurring Motifs
- Cross-cultural encountersLanguage and language learningSocial change in Eastern Europe/RussiaHumor and risqué jokes
Health
-
Ovarian cancer2003-2006Diagnosed after removal of an ovarian cyst; found to have ovarian cancer with suspected metastasis. She refused chemotherapy and radiation, opting for alternative/folk treatments. She stepped back from interpreting and concentrated on writing.
Legacy
She stood at the forefront as a simultaneous interpreter conveying post-Cold War Russia and Eastern Europe, and across essays, non-fiction and novels she influenced readers with cross-cultural insight and incisive observation. A multiple prizewinner, she also contributed to training and improving conditions for younger interpreters.
Academic Societies
- Russian Interpreters Association
- Japanese PEN Club
In Popular Culture
- Appearances on the TV program 'Tetsuko's Room'
- Commentator on TBS's 'Broadcaster'
- Lecturer on NHK Educational TV 'Russian Conversation'
- Participation in the documentary 'Siberian Journey'
Quotes
-
When it comes to explaining the workings and contradictions of today's society, no one fits as well as Karl Marx.
Source: Interview / conversation (source: Eureka special issue and others) (2009) -
Attending classes where I couldn't understand 100% of what the teacher said felt like hell.
Source: Recollection (memories of time in Prague) (2001)
Trivia
- Famous for her fondness for risqué jokes and puns.
- Kept dogs and cats as pets.
- Was affectionately called 'Mari' by Boris Yeltsin during interpreting assignments.
- In later years she declined chemotherapy and radiation, trying alternative therapies instead.