is a Japanese novelist and short story writer. She is a recipient of the Yomiuri Prize.

History

Matsuura was born in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture in Japan. Her middle school years were passed in

Marugame is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,541 in 46101 households and a population density of 970 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Marugame is located in north-ce ...

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

. She went from Marugame West Middle School to Kagawa Prefecture Otemae Middle School, a private school in the area. Matsuura attended Aoyama Gakuin University where she majored in French literature. In her teens, she had read

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

and

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

, and she wished to be in the French literature department so she could read their works in the original language. In 1978, while enrolled at school, she won the award for writing "The Day of the Funeral", her first book. In 1987, her book ''Natural Woman'' was given a rave review by Kenji Nakagami, bringing attention to her. In 1994, her book ''Apprenticeship of Big Toe P'', about the travels of a woman whose big toe on her right foot turns into a penis, won the Women Writers' Prize and was nominated for the

Mishima Yukio Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented annually. It was established in 1988 in memory of author Yukio Mishima. The Mishima Yukio Prize is explicitly intended for work that "breaks new ground for the future of literature," and prize winners te ...

. Additionally, the book became a best-seller. She co-wrote the script for the Natural Woman movie, which was also released in 1994. Seven years passed between ''Apprenticeship of Big Toe P'' and ''Opposite Version'', and another seven until ''Kenshin'' was published. The latter book, published in 2007, won the Yomiuri Prize in 2008. She is currently a committee member for the Shinchō New Writers Award.

Bibliography

* (1980) * (1981) * (1987) * (1993); English translation by Michael Emmerich (Kodansha, 2010) * (essay) (1994) * (essay) (1994); English translation by Amanda Seaman in ''Woman Critiqued'', ed. Rebecca Copeland (University of Hawai'i Press, 2006) * (1998) * (2007) * (2007)

References

External links

Rieko Matsuura
at J'Lit Books from Japan

at JLPP (Japanese Literature Publishing Project) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuura, Rieko Japanese women short story writers People from Matsuyama, Ehime Aoyama Gakuin University alumni 1958 births Living people Yomiuri Prize winners