Out: Natsuo Kirino

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a b c d Poole, Stephen (26 November 2004). "Murder Sushi Wrote". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 December 2013. Kirino explains that the title Out has many meanings attached to it—out as in “off the path” or “exit,” out as in “no good,” and out as in “outside.” [1] She believes there is “a certain kind of freedom in being completely ‘out.’ If you go out one exit, there's another door, and if you open that, you don't know what awaits you" [1] When asked about the broken bonds in the story, the author says she believes there is no such thing as society and that we are essentially solitary creatures. This becomes clear when people unconsciously release their true nature by committing deviant acts. The book's title clearly conveys the experience of being on the out-side of social groups. a b c d e f g h Nagai, Mariko (2008). "An Interview with Natsuo Kirino". Chattahoochee Review. 28 (1): 98–119.

Japan's Government Medals of Honor (Japan) for distinguished performances and contributions to society. The third of this prolific Japanese author's 30 novels to appear in English, this is a cyber-Bildungsroman of playful breadth and uncertain depth. Two mothers abandon their infant boys in the Continue reading » Mina Qiao, Women in the Maze – Space and Gender in Kirino Natsuo's Writings. Münchner Schriftenreihe Japanforschung. Projekt Verlag. 2019.verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. ( April 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) In spite of writing in stories in the genre, Kirino does not particularly like mysteries. For influential books from her childhood, Kirino cites Two Years' Vacation, The Three Musketeers, and Little Women as favorites. [1] Most of Kirino's novels center upon women and crime. Typically, in her novels, such as Out, Kirino mainly focuses on women who do unimaginable things, which is why her books can be considered as “feminist noir.” [5] She writes in a convincing, realistic type of way, which leads to the greatness of her work stemming from "her ability to put us inside the skins of these women.” [5] This focus on more realistic portrayals of Japanese women seems to be a trademark of her work, found in many of her novels such as Grotesque. [7] She is also committed to giving women recognition in Japanese literature, where they are often resigned to sexual and domestic roles. The author recounts how a young man once told her that until he read Out, he “never realized that regular middle aged women actually had a life.” [1] Society, she says, takes advantage of powerless women and it is her goal to create empowered female characters to show readers the power of the “weaker sex.” [1] For these reasons, she has been called the "queen of Japanese crime." [9] In fact, the plot of Out has been described as a framework for her critique of "the problems of ordinary women in contemporary Japanese society." [9] Works in English translation [ edit ] Crime/thriller novelsKirino's works, such as Out, ask the reader what they would do if something awful happened to them. [4] By writing novels that people can relate to, Kirino hopes her novels can help her readers through hard times and be comforted. [4] She has apparently been successful in reaching readers emotionally; for example Kirino was approached by a woman who thanked her for the liberation she felt after reading Out. [4] Tokyo Island (original title: Tōkyō-jima), trans. Philip Gabriel ( Granta, No.110, 2010 Spring, p.31-50)

Riaru warudo (Tokyo: Shueisha, 2003); English translation by J. Philip Gabriel as Real World (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)

The novel tells the tales of four women, working the graveyard shift at a Japanese bento factory. All four women live hard lives. Masako, the leader of the four women, feels completely alienated from her estranged husband and teenage son. Kuniko, a plump and rather vain girl, has recently been ditched by her boyfriend after the couple were driven into debt, leaving Kuniko to fend off a loan shark. Yoshie is a single mother and reluctant caretaker of her mother-in-law, who was left partly paralyzed after a stroke. Yayoi is a thirty-four-year-old mother of two small boys who she is forced to leave home alone, where they are abused by their drunken, gambling father, Kenji.

The Goddess Chronicle (original title: Joshinki), trans. Rebecca Copeland (Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2013) Natsuo Kirino ( 桐野 夏生, Kirino Natsuo) (born October 7, 1951, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture) is the pen name of Mariko Hashioka, [1] a Japanese novelist and a leading figure in the recent boom of female writers of Japanese detective fiction. [2] Biography [ edit ] Kirino is the middle child of three. [3] She has two brothers, one who is six years older and one who is five years younger. [3] Her father was an architect. [2] Kirino has lived in many different cities, including her current residence, Tokyo. [3] Kirino married in 1975 [2] and had a daughter in 1981. [3] a b Copeland, Rebecca (2004). "Woman Uncovered: Pornography and Power in the Detective Fiction of Kirino Natsuo". Japan Forum. 16 (2): 249–69. doi: 10.1080/0955580042000222673.Idem, "Inside OUT: Space, Gender, and Power in Kirino Natsuo", Japanese Language and Literature 40/2 (2006): 197–217. Kirino (Real World) wows with her latest novel. On an unnamed small island, two sisters grow up, just a year apart in age. Kamikuu, the eldest, is destined to be the island’s next Oracle, following Continue reading »