Transparent Tree -- New Works Series of Female Writers from China and Japan

Author: Takagi Nobuko
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: Takagi Nobuko (1946-) was born in the city of Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture. As a child, she was a delicate girl full of imagination. After entering the English Department of Tokyo Short University in 1966, she began trying her hand at literary in the school's literary club. In January 1984, Takagi won the Akutagawa Prize for her collection "Embracing the Light of Friends" (1983), becoming the first woman in post-war Japan to receive this honor. Much of the short story collection appears to depict reality, yet it subtly guides the plot toward non-realistic themes related to water, constantly releasing a refreshing aura that makes readers, upon finishing the book, feel the cracks appearing on the inside of their souls. They notice the author caught in an awkward dilemma—praising the vibrant life and sensually charged joy of her characters from a feminist perspective while simultaneously feeling uneasy about their actions that deviate from traditional moral norms, influenced by a sense of original sin. The storyline of two young men falling in love with the same woman is a recurring axis in many of her works.