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Minako ObaJapanese writer, poet, feminist, literary and social critic
Date of Birth: 11.11.1930
Country: ![]() |
Content:
- Minako Oba
- Early Life and Influences
- Education and Literary Beginnings
- Literary Recognition and Career
- Later Life and Accomplishments
- Legacy and Influence
Minako Oba
Minako Oba (1930-2007) was a prolific Japanese writer, poet, feminist, and literary and social critic. Throughout her career, she authored over ten novels and short story collections, numerous critical essays, a poetry collection, two plays, and works in other genres, including modern Japanese translations of classical literature.
Early Life and Influences
Born into a military doctor's family in Tokyo, Oba grew up in Hiroshima. The atomic bombing of the city deeply impacted her, leading her to volunteer in a rescue squad and assist victims. These experiences left a lasting mark on her literary imagination.
Education and Literary Beginnings
Oba studied English literature at Tsuda College in Tokyo, where she met her future husband, Toshio Oba. After graduating in 1955, she lived in Sitka, Alaska, from 1959 to 1971, where her husband worked for a joint Japanese-Alaskan pulp mill. During her time in Alaska, she began writing.
Literary Recognition and Career
Oba's 1967 short story "Three Crabs" won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize and Gunzo Newcomer's Prize, launching her literary career. She served on the Akutagawa Prize jury from 1987 to 1997.
Later Life and Accomplishments
After suffering a stroke in 1996 that paralyzed her left side, Oba continued to write with the assistance of her husband, who recorded her dictation. She passed away in 2007 after a kidney failure.
Legacy and Influence
In 2009, the complete works of Minako Oba were published in 25 volumes by the Keizai Shimbun Publishing Company. Posthumously released works include her last short stories and essays collected in "Patterns of the Wind on the Sand," as well as the unfinished novel "Lake Shitiri," which she began before her stroke.