was a Japanese writer of short stories, novels and poetry. She was awarded the Noma Children's Literature Newcomer Award, the

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

, and the Women's Literature Prize.

Biography

Yoshiyuki was born in

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 ...

as the third child of writer

Eisuke Yoshiyuki was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama Prefecture. His son, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, was also a noted author; his daughter, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, a well-known actress; and his other daughter, Rie Yoshiyuki, was a poet and novelist. The 1997 NHK Asa ...

and his wife Aguri, a prominent beautician. She graduated from the department of Japanese literature at

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

in 1961. Her first poetry collection titled was published in 1963. Her 1967 poetry collection won her the Tamura Toshiko Prize. In 1973, she published her short story about her father, who had died when she was only one year old. A collection of short stories titled followed in 1975. Her children's story won her the Noma Children's Literature Newcomer Award. Other prize-winning works include and . Many of her stories have cats as characters or describe relationships between cats and humans, or draw upon childhood memories. Another recurring theme is the way people's cruel behaviour affects the lives of others. Yoshiyuki died in Tokyo on 4 May 2006 of

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

. Her older brother Junnosuke was also a novelist, and her older sister Kazuko is an actress.

Selected works

* 1963: ''Aoi Heya'' (poetry collection) * 1967: ''Yume no naka de'' (poetry collection) * 1971: ''Mahōtsukai no kushan neko'' * 1972: ''Kumo no iru sora'' * 1973: ''Kioku no naka ni'' * 1973: ''Senaka no neko'' * 1975: ''Otoko girai'' (short story collection) * 1981: ''The Little Lady'' (short story collection) * 1981: ''Ido no hoshi'' (short story collection) * 1982: ''Meiro no futago'' * 1983: ''Tooka no tsubomi'' * 1983: ''Haioku no hime-gimi'' * 1987: ''Hana kagami'' * 1988: ''Kiiroi neko'' (short story collection)

Translations

Only few of Yoshiyuki's writings have been translated into English, these include her poems ''Carrying'' and ''Sacrificial Victim'', and the short story ''The Little Lady''. Her short story was translated into German as ''Im Brunnen die Sterne''.

Awards

* 1967: Tamura Toshiko Prize for ''Yume no naka de'' * 1970: 9th Noma Children's Literature Newcomer Award for ''Mahōtsukai no kushan neko'' * 1981: 85th Akutagawa Prize for ''The Little Lady'' * 1989: 28th Women's Literature Prize for ''Kiiroi neko''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshiyuki, Rie 1939 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Japanese novelists 20th-century Japanese poets Japanese women novelists Japanese women poets Waseda University alumni Akutagawa Prize winners 20th-century women writers