__NOTOC__ is a Japanese

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

who has published works in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. Born the daughter of a prominent

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

priest, Matsubara grew up at Kenkun Shrine in the northern part of Kyoto. She graduated from high school in Kyoto, then attended

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first ...

, where she studied comparative religion and literature. After receiving a BA, she moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to study theater arts at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, from which she graduated with a MA. She worked for a while as an editor in the US before moving to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1962. She lived in

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

and

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

, where she attended the university and perfected her German language skills. She then settled in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, and in 1970, obtained her PhD in philosophy jointly from the Ruhr University of Bochum and the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. In 1967 Matsubara started to write a regular column at the German weekly newspaper ''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

''. This work turned into a collection of short stories and essays, ''Blick aus Mandelaugen,'' 1968, through which she entered the German literary scene. In 1969, Matsubara published a German translation of the ancient Japanese tale Taketori-monogatari. She worked on documentaries of the major German TV stations ARD and

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

. She published several novels in German (''Brokatrausch'' 1978, ''Samurai'' 1979, ''Glückspforte'' 1980, ''Abendkranich'' 1981, ''Brückenbogen'' 1986,''Karpfentanz'' 1994, ''Himmelszeichen'' 1998,) which were quite successful in Germany and internationally as well. Her novels are set during recent Japanese history addressing changes in Japanese culture relating to modernization and western influences. Matsubara also wrote non-fiction books (''Weg zu Japan'' 1983, and ''Raumschiff Japan'' 1989) highlighting contrasts between Japanese history and European history over the past five centuries. She moved back to the US in the mid 1980s, where she was a scholar at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. In recent years, she has published mostly in Japanese, both fiction and non-fiction. Currently she lives with her family in Los Altos. Hisako Matsubara is a member of the German

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...

since 1971 and since 1985 a member of the American

Art Directors Club The Art Directors Club of New York is an organization for art directors in New York City. It was founded in 1920, and has grown as an industry group, promoting art directors' work through exhibitions and awards, including the annual DESI award for ...

. She received the New York Critics Award in 1985 and in 1987 she was the

Writer in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

at the

East West Center East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

Manoa Mānoa (, ) is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki at . Neighbo ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Matsubara is married to the German solid state physicist Friedemann Freund. Their son, the physicist Minoru Freund (1962-2012), died of brain tumor (

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

) in early 2012. The woodcut artist Naoko Matsubara is her younger sister.Willy Huppert
''Die glücklos Glücklichen vom Mond''
Die Zeit, Nr. 50/1969 (German)

Works

* ''The Tale of the Shining Princess,'' Kodansha International Ltd. 1966, * "Die Geschichte des Bambussammler, Langewiesche-Brand, 1966 * ''Blick aus Mandelaugen: Eine Japanerin in Deutschland,'' Piper 1968, * "Hisako Matsubara's Weltausstellung", Piper 1969, * ''Brokatrausch,'' Albrecht Knaus 1978, * ''Samurai,'' Times Books 1980, * ''Glückspforte,'' Albrecht Knaus 1980, * ''Abendkranich: Eine Kindheit in Japan,'' Albrecht Knaus 1981 * "Blick aus Mandelaugen: West-Ostliche Miniature" Albrecht Knaus 1981 * ''Cranes at Dusk'' (Abendkranich), Doubleday 1985, * ''Brückenbogen,'' Albrecht Knaus 1986, * ''Wakon no jidai,'' Mikasa Shobo 1987, * ''Nihon no chie Yoroppa no chie,'' Mikasa Shobo 1987, * ''Raumschiff Japan: Realität und Provokation,'' Albrecht Knaus 1989, * ''The Japanese: A Mystery Unfolded,'' Atlantic Monthly Press 1990, * ''Karpfentanz,'' Albrecht Knaus 1994, * ''Himmelszeichen,'' Albrecht Knaus 2000, * "Kotoageseyo Nihon", President Sha 2000, * "Ogoreru Hakujin", Bungei Shunju 2005, * "Kuroi Jujika", Fujiwara Shoten 2008, * ''Mino: A young scientist's life-long journey through outer and inner space,'' Daniel & Daniel 2019

References

(archived version) * Sharon Dirlam
''Cranes at Dusk''
Los Angeles Times, 1985-2-17
Review of the German translation of ''Taketori-monogatari''
in ''Die Zeit'' (December 12, 1969, German)

at Munzinger Online (German)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsubara, Hisako Japanese writers 1935 births Living people

Works

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Further reading

Notes