Latest news with #DaggerAwards
Tokyo Weekender
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Akira Otani Becomes First Japanese Novelist To Win British Crime Fiction Award
Novelist Akira Otani made history this week, becoming the first Japanese winner of the best translated crime novel prize at the Dagger Awards. Her triumph was announced by the United Kingdom's Crime Writers' Association (CWA) on July 3. The Night of Baba Yaga , translated by Sam Bett, was competing against five other novels, including Butter by fellow Japanese author Asako Yuzuki. Otani's novel is a queer thriller that follows Yoriko Shindo, a fierce mixed-race fighter who becomes the bodyguard of a yakuza princess. Although several acclaimed works by Japanese writers — such as Hideo Yokoyama, Kotaro Isaka and Keigo Higashino — have been shortlisted for the Dagger Award's translation category over the years, none have received the prize. List of Contents: Embracing Ambiguity in Fiction and Life The Rise of Translated Japanese Fiction Related Posts courtesy of Kawade Shobo Shinsha Embracing Ambiguity in Fiction and Life Born in Tokyo in 1981, Otani began her career as a video game writer. Her debut in the literary world came in 2018 with Nobody Said We're Perfect , a short story collection that explores relationships between women. The Night of Baba Yaga , her fourth feature-length novel published in Japan, was the first to be translated into English in 2024. The translated work was featured in Tokyo Weekender's 2024 book recommendations list . 'I feel that the depiction of women in fiction is often fixed and unrealistic, with only a few patterns,' Otani said in an interview with Shueisha Bungei Station. 'Real friends and acquaintances are more diverse and interesting than that… I decided to portray real women in my stories.' Otani also discussed the importance of embracing gray areas in relation to her own identity as a writer during her acceptance speech at the Dagger Award Ceremony in London. 'I am not a mystery writer. I write a variety of works,' she stated , in reference to the segmentation of authors by genre in Japan. 'Ambiguity is what defines me as a writer. I believe that accepting your own ambiguity and acknowledging the ambiguity of others will make the world a better place.' There are over 38,000 copies of The Night of Baba Yaga in Japan as of today, and the novel is currently available in the United Kingdom, United States and South Korea, with plans to publish in Germany, Italy and Brazil. The Rise of Translated Japanese Fiction Otani's work is one of a number of Japanese novels to have enjoyed great success in the United Kingdom in recent years. According to figures from Nielsen BookScan, Japanese fiction represented 25% of all translated fiction sales in the UK in 2022. Last November, The Guardian reported that 43% of the top 40 translated fiction titles in the UK for 2024, up to that point, were by Japanese authors. While literary giants such as Banana Yoshimoto and Haruki Murakami are no strangers to overseas fame, the past decade has witnessed the global rise of a broader range of Japanese authors. Literary fiction titles from female perspectives by writers such as Sayaka Murata ( Convenience Store Woman ) and Mieko Kawakami ( Breasts and Eggs ) have surged in popularity, as have slice-of-life comfort fiction novels like Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Michiko Aoyama's What You Are Looking for Is in the Library . There has also been a huge growth in classic and contemporary crime fiction from Japan in the UK market, including Yuzuki's aforementioned bestseller Butter and golden age crime novels such as Seicho Matsumoto's Tokyo Express (also known as Points and Lines ). Related Posts Japan's Best Crime and Mystery Writers | List of 7 Visiting Real Life Locations From Haruki Murakami Novels in Tokyo Spotlight: Yasunari Kawabata — Japan's First Nobel Literature Laureate
The Mainichi
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Novelist Otani becomes Japan's 1st to win British crime writing award
LONDON (Kyodo) -- A Japanese novelist on Thursday became her country's first to win a major British award for crime and mystery writing, highlighting a boom in the popularity of translated Japanese fiction. Akira Otani was given the best translated crime novel prize at the Dagger Awards for "The Night of Baba Yaga," beating out five shortlisted competitors including fellow Japanese author Asako Yuzuki. "I'm in complete shock. My head is kind of upside down," Otani, 44, said during an award ceremony through an interpreter. Otani also told reporters that she has known about the Dagger Awards since she was young as her late grandfather loved foreign mystery novels. "So, if possible, I would want to tell him the most that I won this award," she said. Her novel tells the story of a woman kidnapped by a yakuza crime syndicate and forced to serve as a bodyguard to the boss's daughter. As the story progresses, the relationship between the pair develops in unexpected ways as the attitudes of the men around them grow darker and more sinister. Judges compared the story to a manga comic, praising the work for its raw depiction of the yakuza as well as the humanity and feeling of its characters in the competition organized by the Crime Writers' Association. "This saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story," the judges said. The book, originally published in Japanese in 2020, is Otani's first work to appear in English. It was translated by Sam Bett and released in July 2024 in the United States, followed by publication in Britain two months later. The popularity of translated Japanese novels has grown in recent years in Britain. According to NielsenIQ statistics, three of the five best-selling translated fiction books in Britain for the first eight months of 2024 were by Japanese authors. The Guardian reported in November that among the top 40 translated fiction titles for 2024, 43 percent were Japanese. Otani was born in Tokyo and grew up mostly in the neighboring countryside. On writing the novel, she said she started out with the idea of resisting patriarchal society and that fiction allowed her to explore the concept. She added that for her, writing the story with the relationship between two women as the focus was not a conscious choice, but merely felt "more natural" to her than one between a man and a woman. Speaking to Kyodo News before the ceremony, Otani said that she thought one of the reasons it resonated with overseas readers was because she "wrote it with only domestic readers in mind." "Small things like place names and canned coffee, stuff that Japanese people would just understand right away, give it this feeling of being very authentically Japanese," she said. (By Callum Cafferty)
Asahi Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Akira Otani's thriller earns Dagger Award for translation
LONDON—Akira Otani's gangland thriller centered around two women is the first Japanese work to win the translation division of the prestigious Dagger Awards. 'The Night of Baba Gaya,' translated by Sam Bett, was awarded the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger by the Crime Writers' Association in Britain on July 3. 'Like a manga cartoon, this savage depiction of Japanese yakuza life is relentlessly violent if only to highlight the deep humanity of its fish out of water characters,' a CWA statement quoted judges as saying. 'Mean and lean, this saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story.' The story revolves around a violence-hungry woman who serves as bodyguard to the 'princess' daughter of a yakuza boss and the bond they develop. The original novel was published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha in 2020. The English version has been well-received not only in Britain but also in the United States. In a speech at the award ceremony, Otani, who was born in Tokyo in 1981, said being ambiguous is her theme as a writer. 'The protagonists in this work also obtain relationships and lives that cannot be clearly labeled,' she said in Japanese. 'That is the stuff that I wanted to read more than anything.' Otani, who began focusing on novels after working as a freelance writer, gave special thanks to Bett for skillfully translating small details of Japanese elements in her story. The Dagger Awards, founded in 1955, honor outstanding English-language crime and mystery novels published in Britain over the year. They are the world's best-known prizes in the genre along with the Edgar Awards, sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America. While translated works were originally considered with other novels, a dedicated division was created in 2006. 'Butter,' written by Japanese author Asako Yuzuki and translated by Polly Barton, was also nominated in the division this year. The CWA statement said Otani's novel 'pipped' Yuzuki's work 'to the post.' In the past, books by Japanese writers Hideo Yokoyama, Keigo Higashino and Kotaro Isaka were shortlisted. (This article was written by Rina Horikoshi and Gakushi Fujiwara.)
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 4, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan's household spending in May up 4.7% on year TOKYO - Japan's household spending rose a real 4.7 percent in May from a year earlier, government data showed Friday. Households of two or more people spent an average of 316,085 yen ($2,200) in the reporting month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. ---------- Trump likely to start sending new tariff rate letters on Friday WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would likely begin sending letters informing some countries of their new tariff rates on Friday. "It's just much easier. We have far more than 170 countries," Trump told reporters on Thursday. "I'd rather send out a letter saying this is what you're going to pay to do business in the United States." ---------- Novelist Otani becomes Japan's 1st to win British crime writing award LONDON - A Japanese novelist on Thursday became her country's first to win a major British award for crime and mystery writing, highlighting a boom in the popularity of translated Japanese fiction. Akira Otani was given the best translated crime novel prize at the Dagger Awards for "The Night of Baba Yaga," beating out five shortlisted competitors including fellow Japanese author Asako Yuzuki. ---------- Japan seeks tariff talks early next week in U.S. amid impasse TOKYO - The Japanese government wants to send its chief tariff negotiator to the United States for an eighth round of ministerial-level talks early next week, a source close to the matter said Thursday. Tokyo is believed to have sounded out the administration of President Donald Trump for another round of negotiations ahead of next Wednesday's deadline for its 90-day pause on country-specific tariffs. ---------- Strong quake shakes southwest Japan islands amid continued temblors TOKYO - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 hit off small islands in southwestern Japan on Thursday, following over 1,000 felt temblors in the area in nearly two weeks, the weather agency said. The quake, which struck around 4:13 p.m. off the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, measured a lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 on Akuseki Island, part of the village of Toshima, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued. ---------- Japan's Michael Jackson impersonator helps tackle overtourism woes OSAKA - A Michael Jackson impersonator in Osaka is using his popularity on social media to help address issues such as overcrowding and littering caused by overtourism. The moonwalking performer, who calls himself "Michael Jackton" and has amassed nearly 13 million followers on video platform TikTok, frequently turns heads in Osaka's bustling Dotombori entertainment district and elsewhere in the western Japan city. ---------- Campaigning for Japan upper house election begins, inflation tests PM TOKYO - Official campaigning began in Japan on Thursday for the July 20 House of Councillors election, a crucial test for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his minority government as voters struggle with the rising cost of living. Ishiba has set a goal for the ruling coalition of his Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party to retain its majority in the 248-member upper house, meaning it will need to win at least 50 seats in the upcoming race in which 125 seats are up for grabs. ---------- Basketball: Japan, Denmark play to stalemate in women's friendly TOKYO - The Japanese women's national basketball team made too many mistakes but "learned a lot" from Thursday's 65-65 tie with Denmark, head coach Corey Gaines said. Akatsuki Japan trailed early before fighting its way back into the exhibition game at Ariake Arena, which ended without an overtime period. ---------- Video: Popular mascots parade on Osaka Expo-designated Japan Day
Japan Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Novelist Otani becomes Japan's 1st to win British crime writing award
A Japanese novelist on Thursday became her country's first to win a major British award for crime and mystery writing amid a boom in translated Japanese fiction in Britain. Akira Otani was given the best translated crime novel prize at the Dagger Awards for "The Night of Baba Yaga," beating out five shortlisted competitors including fellow Japanese author Asako Yuzuki. The 44-year-old's novel tells the story of a woman kidnapped by a yakuza crime syndicate and forced to serve as a bodyguard to the boss's daughter. As the story progresses, the relationship between the pair develops in unexpected ways as the attitudes of the men around them grow darker and more sinister. Judges compared the story to a manga comic, praising the work for its raw depiction of the yakuza as well as the humanity and feeling of its characters in the competition organized by the Crime Writers' Association. "This saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story," the judges said. The book was originally published in Japanese in 2020. Its release in Britain in 2024, translated by Sam Bett, marked the first time one of Otani's works appeared in English. The popularity of translated Japanese novels has grown over the past years in Britain. According to NielsenIQ statistics, three of the five best-selling translated fiction books in Britain for the first eight months of 2024 were by Japanese authors. The Guardian reported in November that among the top 40 translated fiction titles for 2024, 43 percent were Japanese. Otani was born in Tokyo and grew up mostly in the neighboring countryside. On writing the novel, she said she started out with the idea of resisting patriarchal society and that fiction allowed her to explore the concept. She added that for her, writing the story with the relationship between two women as the focus was not a conscious choice, but merely felt "more natural" to her than one between a man and a woman. © KYODO
