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Kanako Nishi (author)

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Japanese writer and artist
Kanako Nishi
Native name西 加奈子
Born (1977-05-07) May 7, 1977 (age 47)
Tehran, Iran
OccupationNovelist, essayist, artist
LanguageJapanese
Alma materKansai University
GenreFiction
Notable works
  • Tsūtenkaku (通天閣)
  • Fukuwarai (ふくわらい)
  • Saraba! (サラバ!)
Notable awards
Website
Kanako Nishi Official Website

Kanako Nishi (西 加奈子, Nishi Kanako, born May 7, 1977) is a Japanese writer and artist. She has won the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, the Kawai Hayao Literary Prize, and the Naoki Prize, and several of her books have been adapted for film.

Early life and education

Kanako Nishi was born in Tehran, Iran on May 7, 1977. Her family moved back to Japan at age 2, but her father's job took them away from Japan again to Cairo, Egypt when she was 7 years old. The Nishi family stayed in Cairo for four years, then returned to Izumi, Osaka. She later drew on this experience in creating the main character in her bestselling novel Saraba! Nishi attended junior high and high school in Izumi municipal schools. After high school, she attended Kansai University in Osaka.

Career

At age 26, Nishi lied to her parents about getting a job in Tokyo, and left Osaka to pursue her dream of writing professionally. Her first book, the short story collection Aoi (「あおい」, "Blue"), was published in 2004. She has since published over 20 books, including novels, essay collections, short story collections, and illustrated children's books.

In 2006, Nishi's novel Tsūtenkaku (「通天閣」, lit. "Tower to heaven") won the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, which is named for the Buraiha writer Sakunosuke Oda. That same year Kanako's novel Kiiroi zou (「きいろいゾウ」, lit. "Yellow Elephant"), a story about a long-married couple who receive a mysterious letter that leads them to revisit the history of their relationship, was published by Shogakukan. It was later adapted into the 2013 film Kiiroi Zou, starring Aoi Miyazaki and Osamu Mukai. In 2011 her novel Entaku (「円卓」, lit. "Round table"), about the daily life of an elementary school girl who prefers to be alone, was published by Bungeishunjū. It was later adapted into a 2014 Isao Yukisada film starring Mana Ashida and Ryuhei Maruyama. Nishi's 2012 novel Fukuwarai (lit. "Funny Face"), about the relationships between an eccentric editor and the people around her, won the inaugural Kawai Hayao story prize, drawing praise from prize judge and novelist Nahoko Uehashi.

Nishi won the 152nd Naoki Prize in 2015 for her novel Saraba! (「サラバ！」, lit. "Farewell!"), which drew heavily on her childhood experiences in its portrayal of a male protagonist born in Iran who overcomes hardships while moving between Egypt and Japan. Saraba! drew particular praise from the committee members for its unorthodox style and language. Later that year Vogue Japan named Nishi one of its 2015 Women of the Year. In 2016 her novel Makuko (「まく子」), about an elementary school boy whose friendship with a new transfer student leads to his discovery of a big secret, was published by Fukuinkan Shoten. The novel was adapted into a 2019 film for Nikkatsu by screenwriter and director Keiko Tsuruoka, with Hikaru Yamazaki and Ninon in the lead roles.

In 2020, Kanako's previously published stories "Sam no Koto" (lit. "Sam") and "Saru ni Au" (lit. "Meet the Monkey") were adapted into a two-part television series for subscription channel dTV, with the main characters played by fourth generation members of idol group Nogizaka46. A new volume containing the adapted stories was scheduled for publication by Shogakukan in March 2020, prior to the show's premiere. That same year, director Hitoshi Yazaki adapted Nishi's novel Sakura, which had sold more than 500,000 copies since its publication in 2005, into a film starring Nana Komatsu, Takumi Kitamura, and Ryo Yoshizawa.

Writing style

Nishi's characters frequently use Osaka-ben, the distinctive Japanese dialect common in Osaka and surrounding cities. She often writes words in hiragana rather than kanji to allow multiple interpretations, and for aesthetic effect. Her English translator, Allison Markin Powell, has said that Nishi's writing is "deceptively simple yet beautiful", and that it "establishes an immediate intimacy with her characters." Her work addresses issues in "religion, individualism, and society", especially during times of upheaval and disaster.

Personal life

Nishi started reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison as a first-year high school student and has preferred reading foreign authors ever since. Her favorite author is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Nishi is a fan of professional wrestling, particularly New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Recognition

  • 2006: Oda Sakunosuke Prize for Tsūtenkaku (「通天閣」, lit. "Tower to heaven")
  • 2012: Kawai Hayao Literary Prize for Fukuwarai (「ふくわらい」, lit. "Funny face")
  • 2015: 152nd Naoki Prize (2014下) for Saraba! (「サラバ！」, lit. "Farewell!")

Adaptations

Film

Television

  • Sam no Koto/Saru ni Au, dTV, 2020

Works

Books in Japanese

Fiction

Illustrated books

Nonfiction

Selected work in translation

  • "Merry Christmas," English trans. Allison Markin Powell, fiftystorms.org
  • "Fear of Manners," English trans. Allison Markin Powell, Words Without Borders, May 2017 issue.
  • "Burn," English trans. Allison Markin Powell, Freeman's: Power, Fall 2018 issue.

References

  1. ^ 文藝年鑑2008年 (Literary Yearbook 2008) (in Japanese). Shinchosha. 2008. ISBN 9784107500342.
  2. Nishi, Kanako (November 16, 2015). "パリ (Paris)". Fifty Storms (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  3. "Authors: Kanako Nishi". Books from Japan. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  4. 野里, 和宏 (March 1, 2015). "和泉市立光明台中学校 野里 和宏校長先生" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  5. "超保守的な生き方を、小説がポイした". Senka (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "織田作之助賞受賞". Osaka Literature Promotion Institute (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  7. "宮崎あおいと向井理が夫婦役で初共演、西加奈子原作の映画『きいろいゾウ』". Cinra.net (in Japanese). October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  8. "西加奈子×行定勲『円卓』で芦田愛菜が関西弁の偏屈ヒロインに、共演に関ジャニ丸山ら". Cinra.net (in Japanese). May 22, 2014. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  9. 雨野, 裾 (November 12, 2017). "「物語としてしか命を持ちえない作品」――エキセントリックな女性編集者が「恋」と「世界」を知る。読み手を選ぶ異色作!? 西加奈子『ふくわらい』". Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Ono wins Akutagawa literary award; Nishi wins Naoki Prize". The Japan Times. January 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  11. "作家・林真理子さん「読後に青空が広がる小説」". Sankei News (in Japanese). January 15, 2015. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  12. "ピース又吉と西加奈子の相思相愛ぶりに綾部困る「私は何をすれば」". Natalie (in Japanese). November 26, 2015. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "草彅剛が父親役、西加奈子原作『まく子』実写映画化　主演は14歳の山崎光". Cinra.net (in Japanese). May 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "乃木坂46の4期生、ドラマ初出演！西加奈子の青春小説2作品が実写化". Natalie (in Japanese). February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  15. "サムのこと　猿に会う". Shogakukan (in Japanese). Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "北村匠海×小松菜奈×吉沢亮がきょうだい　西加奈子原作『さくら』劇中写真". Cinra.net (in Japanese). February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Komai, Aiko (February 7, 2013). "Multiple Meanings: Author Kanako Nishi Talks about Her Novels and the Stories Behind Them". The Daily Yomiuri.
  18. Bartholomew, Reid (August 22, 2017). "Reflecting the Possibilities in Translation: A Conversation with Allison Markin Powell". World Literature Today. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  19. Markin Powell, Allison (November 10, 2016). "10 Japanese Books by Women We'd Love to See in English". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  20. "西加奈子さん「プロレスからむちゃくちゃ勇気をいただいてます」". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). January 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  21. "第1回河合隼雄物語賞の授賞式が行われました". Kawai Hayao Foundation (in Japanese). July 5, 2013. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  22. "きいろいゾウ". 映画.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  23. "円卓　こっこ、ひと夏のイマジン". 映画.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 1, 2021). "Studio 4°C Reveals Gyokō no Nikuko-chan Anime Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  25. "Tumblr". Tumblr (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  26. Nishi, Kanako (May 1, 2017). "Fear of Manners". Translated by Markin Powell, Allison. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
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