Early life
Li Kotomi was born on December 26, 1989, in Taiwan. She started learning Japanese when she was 15 years old. She thinks The more she knows Japanese, the more interesting it is. In her blog, she wrote, “The beautiful sea of Hiragana is filled with Chinese characters like jewels.” Her elementary school teacher was dissatisfied with her because there was a history that Japan had colonized Taiwan before. She also tried to create novels in Chinese concurrently with learning Japanese. She enrolled at National Taiwan University and graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature and Japanese Literature. In 2013, she came to Japan to study for a master's degree in the Department of Japanese Language and Literature at Waseda University. Following graduation, She moved to Japan to study for a master's degree in the Department of Japanese Language and Literature at Waseda University in 2013 and has been living there since.After graduating, she got a permanent residency in Japan in 2018. Following graduation, she started working for a general corporation. When she rode a train to go to her company, she came up with an idea and wrote her debut novel, ''Hitorimai'' (Chinese: 獨舞 English: Solo Dance), in 2018. It was her first Japanese novel, and It's also a piece of work that puts everything into it, including the suffering and thoughts of death that she felt in her life. It was awarded the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in 2021. Her novel, ''Higanbana ga saku shima'' (Chinese: 彼岸花盛開之島 English: An Island Where Red Spider Lilies Bloom”) is in line forLiterary Career
2017-2022 In 2017, her debut ''Hitorimai'' received the 60th Gunzo Prize for New Writers, and ''Li Kotomi'' was born. Since then, she has written novels in Japanese and Chinese. Also, ''Hitorimai'' adopted High School Entrance Exam at Nalano Hachioji Junior & Senior High School, Attached to Meiji University, in 2019.She quit her company in 2018 and has become a freelance writer and translator. In 2019, her novel ''Itutsu kazoereba mikazukiga'' (If you count five, the crescent moon）was nominated for the 161th Akutagawa Ryunosuke Prize and the 41st Noma Literary Prize. In addition to writing novels, she has translation work. She can translate literature such as novels, essays, contracts, tourist information, comics, smartphone games, and newspaper articles. Most of her translation work is from Japanese to Chinese. Her novel ''Hitorimai'' was translated by herself. She published the Chinese version in Taiwan. ''Porarisu ga furisosogu yoru'' (The Night of the Shining North Star, published on Feb 2020) received the Art Encouragement Newcomer Award. This series of short stories is set in Shinjuku Ni-chome and depicts the comings and goings of various people—people with diverse sexual identities, foreigners living in Japan, and others—intertwined with themes of national identity, history, and culture. She won the 2021 Akutagawa Prize for ''Higanbanaga saku shima'' (The island where red spider lilies bloom) ''Toumeina makuwo hedatenagara'', published on Aug 2022, is a collection of essays she had written for over four years, from her debut years, 2017 to 2022, when she received the Akutagawa Prize. Since her debut, she has consistently written her works in close contact with modern society, including life and death, sexual diversity (LGBT, sexual minorities, etc.), nationality, language, and history and politics that are based on it. Also, Li Kotomi recently spoke at the International Conference on Open Access to Culture (held from June 28 to July 7, 2022) during Plenary Session 2, “A Dialogue in Diversity: Inclusion of Differences, Prospects in Cultural Collaboration.” * ''Hitorimai'', which received the 60th Gunzo New Writers' Prize for Excellence, is the award targeted by ''Jun Bun Gaku, emphasizing'' the beauty of writing and the variety of artistry.Works
In Japanese
''Hitorimai'' (Solo Dance) was published in March 2018 and received the 60th Gunzo New Writers Award for Excellence. ''Itsu tsu kazoereba mikatsukiga'' (Count to Five and the crescent Moon）was in line for the 161th Akutagawa Prize and Noma Bungei New Writers Award. ''Porarisu ga furisosogu yoru'' ( Night of the Shining North Star) received the 71st Education Minister's Art Encouragement New Awards. ''Higanbana ga saku shima'' (An Island Where Red Spider Lilies Bloom), published on June 25, 2021, received the 165th Akutagawa Prize and was in line for Mishima Yukio Awards. ''Hoshi tsuki yoru'' (Moon and Starlight Night), published on July 15, 2020. ''Sei wo iwau'' (Celebrating life), published on December 7, 2021. It was the first novel to receive the Akutagawa Prize in 2021. ''Toumeina makuwo Hedatenagara,'' published on June 2021, is a collection of essays she had written for more than four years, from her debut years, 2017 to 2022, when she received the Akutagawa Prize.In English
''Solo Dance'', translated by Arthur Reiji MorrisReferences
Citations
Works cited
*External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Kotomi 21st-century Taiwanese women writers 21st-century Taiwanese writers Taiwanese expatriates in Japan National Taiwan University alumni Waseda University alumni 1989 births Living people Taiwanese translators Taiwanese women essayists Taiwanese women novelists Taiwanese novelists Pseudonymous women writers Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent 21st-century pseudonymous writers Akutagawa Prize winners