Latest news with #Hunchback
The Star
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Disabled Japanese writer makes literary history
When Saou Ichikawa was named the winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2023, one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious literary awards, she flashed a thumbs-up to her parents and editor before going onstage to receive it in front of a gold screen. While the 45-year-old novelist was the 181st winner of the prize, she was the first to require a ramp to ascend the stage. Ichikawa has congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator to breathe, and was the first author with a severe physical disability to win. She used her moment in the national spotlight to highlight how people with disabilities face isolation and are invisible in society, a theme she took up in her prize-winning novel, Hunchback . 'I wrote this novel thinking that it is a problem that there were few authors with disabilities,' she told reporters, pressing a button on her larynx to speak. 'Why did the first winner not appear until 2023? I want everyone to think about that.' It was a long journey for Ichikawa, who was removed from school after being put on the ventilator at age 13. But she refused to disappear, becoming an author in her 20s in an effort to reclaim a voice in society. For two decades, she wrote more than 30 pulp romance and fantasy stories meant for young readers. But all of her manuscripts were rejected. Hunchback draws heavily from Ichikawa's personal experiences as a woman living with a severe physical disability in Instagram/ Whilereadingandwalking In 2019, when she enrolled in an online degree program at Tokyo's Waseda University, one of Japan's top schools, she began thinking about how people with disabilities are rarely represented in literature. She resolved to change that by telling the story of a character like herself, reliant on a wheelchair and a ventilator because of a major disability. Hunchback , her first work in which she said she took up a serious topic, bared a part of her experience for readers to see. 'There were only very stereotyped representations of the disabled, and I wanted to break that,' Ichikawa said in an interview at the home of her parents, with whom she lives. 'I wanted to show that we are people, too, with a diverse range of personalities and desires.' These include sexual desires, which her main character, a woman named Shaka who has a similar muscle disorder, uses to assert control over her own life and to seek revenge on a society that tries to deny her humanity. 'Through Japan's history, disabilities and illnesses were seen as something shameful to be kept hidden,' Ichikawa said. 'When pregnant women passed by people with severe disabilities, they were told to show a mirror to ward off evil spirits.' She stuck with writing, despite many setbacks, because she had no other way to be heard. Still, Ichikawa, who writes on an iPad, never imagined that her first work of 'pure literature' would win a top prize. 'When I heard, my mind froze,' she said. 'I think I was accepted because of my novelty, but I hope I can open the way for others to write more freely.' Ableism and social inclusion Ichikawa's breakthrough comes as Japan is becoming more aware of what is called ableism, the assumption that society belongs to the able-bodied. In 2019, two people with severe disabilities won the election to Japan's parliament, where renovations were required to accommodate their wheelchairs. An inclusive society begins by recognising and meeting the needs of the disabled community. Photo: 123rf 'Her winning the Akutagawa Prize has made a lot of people suddenly see the invisible barriers,' said Yuki Arai, a professor of literature at Nishogakusha University in Tokyo. Hunchback is a shout of anger at a society that doesn't realise it's denying them participation.' The most frequently cited passage of Ichikawa's book is a rant by the main character, who wants to read but cannot grasp a book in her hands. In a burst of angry self-loathing, Shaka blames an 'ableist machismo' that blinds most people to the barriers shutting out those with disabilities. 'Able-bodied Japanese people have likely never even imagined a hunchback monster struggling to read a physical book,' Shaka says. Although born with her illness, Ichikawa was healthy as a young child, enjoying dance and gymnastics in elementary school. Knowing that her condition could worsen, her parents took her on trips to Thailand and Canada. After Ichikawa started requiring a wheelchair and ventilator, her parents built a home by the coast so she could still see the ocean. She said this was nevertheless a dark time when she was plagued by nightmares, including one in which her floor was littered with the carcasses of dead bugs. Later, she read in a book on dreams that this reflected a fear of being left behind. Despite multiple book rejections, Ichikawa didn't give up, saying she had 'nothing else to do.' Hunchback has exceeded her dreams, with an English translation recently released. Now that she has ascended to a bigger stage, Ichikawa has no intention of leaving it. 'I plan to go on a rapid-fire spree of writing spontaneous novels for the next few years,' she said. 'I want to break preconceptions and prejudices.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
An Undaunted Writer Who Broke an Invisible Barrier in Japan
When Saou Ichikawa was named the winner of the Akutagawa Prize in July 2023, one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious literary awards, she flashed a thumbs-up to her parents and editor before going onstage to receive it in front of a gold screen. While the 45-year-old novelist was the 181st winner of the prize, she was the first to require a ramp to ascend the stage. Ms. Ichikawa has congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator to breath, and was the first author with a severe physical disability to win. She used her moment in the national spotlight to highlight how people with disabilities face isolation and are invisible in society, a theme she took up in her prizewinning novel, 'Hunchback.' 'I wrote this novel thinking that it is a problem that there were few authors with disabilities,' she told reporters, pressing a button on her larynx to speak. 'Why did the first winner not appear until 2023? I want everyone to think about that.' It was a long journey for Ms. Ichikawa, who was removed from school after being put on the ventilator at age 13. But she refused to disappear, becoming an author in her 20s in an effort to reclaim a voice in society. For two decades, she wrote more than 30 pulp romance and fantasy stories meant for young readers. But all of her manuscripts were rejected. In 2019, when she enrolled in an online degree program at Waseda University, one of Japan's top schools, she began thinking about how people with disabilities are rarely represented in literature. She resolved to change that by telling the story of a character like herself, reliant on a wheelchair and a ventilator because of a major disability. 'Hunchback,' her first work in which she said she took up a serious topic, bared a part of her experience for readers to see. 'There were only very stereotyped representations of the disabled, and I wanted to break that,' Ms. Ichikawa said in an interview at the home of her parents, with whom she lives. 'I wanted to show that we are people, too, with a diverse range of personalities and desires.' These include sexual desires, which her main character, a woman named Shaka who has a similar muscle disorder, uses to assert control over her own life and to seek revenge on a society that tries to deny her humanity. 'Through Japan's history, disabilities and illnesses were seen as something shameful to be kept hidden,' Ms. Ichikawa said. 'When pregnant women passed by people with severe disabilities, they were told to show a mirror to ward off evil spirits.' She stuck with writing, despite many setbacks, because she had no other way to be heard. Still, Ms. Ichikawa, who writes on an iPad, never imagined that her first work of 'pure literature' would win a top prize. 'When I heard, my mind froze,' she said. 'I think I was accepted because of my novelty, but I hope I can open the way for others to write more freely.' Ms. Ichikawa's breakthrough comes as Japan is becoming more aware of what is called ableism, the assumption that society belongs to the able-bodied. In 2019, two people with severe disabilities won election to Japan's Parliament, where renovations were required to accommodate their wheelchairs. 'Her winning the Akutagawa Prize has made a lot of people suddenly see the invisible barriers,' said Yuki Arai, a professor of literature at Nishogakusha University. ''Hunchback' is a shout of anger at a society that doesn't realize it's denying them participation.' The most frequently cited passage of Ms. Ichikawa's book is a rant by the main character, who wants to read but cannot grasp a book in her hands. In a burst of angry self-loathing, Shaka blames an 'ableist machismo' that blinds most people to the barriers shutting out those with disabilities. 'Able-bodied Japanese people have likely never even imagined a hunchback monster struggling to read a physical book,' Shaka says. Although she born with her illness, Ms. Ichikawa was healthy as a young child, enjoying dance and gymnastics in elementary school. Knowing that her condition could worsen, her parents took her on trips to Thailand and Canada. After Ms. Ichikawa started requiring a wheelchair and ventilator, her parents built a home by the coast so she could still see the ocean. She said this was nevertheless a dark time when she was plagued by nightmares, including one in which her floor was littered with the carcasses of dead bugs. Later, she read in a book on dreams that this reflected a fear of being left behind. Despite multiple book rejections, Ms. Ichikawa didn't give up, saying she had 'nothing else to do.' 'Hunchback' has exceeded her dreams, with an English translation recently released. Now that she has ascended to a bigger stage, Ms. Ichikawa has no intention of leaving it. 'I plan to go on a rapid-fire spree of writing spontaneous novels for the next few years,' she said. 'I want to break preconceptions and prejudices.'
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Review of International Booker-longlisted Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
'My Steamy Threesome …' — that's how the International Booker Prize-longlisted novel Hunchback begins, enticing readers with a scene in a three-storey swingers' club. But the moment this raunchy segment is over, readers are left to marvel at how Saou Ichikawa — who created history by becoming the first author with disability to win Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 2023 — deftly steers the narrative engine, making Hunchback a revenge story: a pushback against ableism, that is. Polly Barton, who has exceptionally translated Ichikawa's debut novel from Japanese to English, has done a great service to world literature by offering this work new visibility and acclaim. What readers worldwide must do, however, is to not reduce Ichikawa's artistic brilliance to her disability — congenital myopathy. Though the author has used her experiences, as writers often do, Hunchback is immensely layered. The protagonist is a 40-something Shaka Izawa, who calls herself a 'hunchbacked monster' — a reflection at the intersection of self-image and others' gaze — for she has a severe muscular disorder and an S-shaped spine, and writes on sex. Not a sad story Note Shaka is also the Japanese name for the Buddha Śākyamuni. Our heroine's WordPress account name too is Buddha — a way to humour herself. It's satirical, too, for she knows that she isn't like the Enlightened One who left his family in search of nirvana, because she can never leave. She lives in a group home, owned by her family, where she is cared for. But Shaka's isn't a sad story for ableist audiences. The protagonist knows how to take control. She talks about how assistive technology can make a noticeable difference in one's life. Societal norms, on the other hand, continue to be respected; Shaka is provided with gendered care. Her parents never miss any chance to remind her to be grateful for all they've done for her. But Shaka is not looking for sympathy. Nor is she accepting a form of oppression passed off as tradition. Personal is political When COVID-19 hits, she accepts the services of a male caregiver, Tanaka, who self-identifies as a beta male. 'He's probably an incel,' Shaka wonders. It's during a conversation between the two that Tanaka shares that he has read all the provocative content Shaka posts online. Things such as: 'I want to get pregnant, then have an abortion.' Or: 'In another life, I'd like to work as a high-class prostitute.' Tanaka is an embodiment of someone who can exact harm on Shaka with this knowledge, but Shaka learns he needs money. She propositions something, making this story take a sharp turn and illuminating what it is to exercise power — its relative nature and exploits. Through Shaka's private thoughts, author Ichikawa reminds one of Tomoko Yonezu, the disability rights activist who threw red paint at the Mona Lisa on display in the National Museum in Tokyo in 1974 to protest against the museum's inaccessibility. No detail is rendered useless in this slim novel. Everything is exploited to its full potential. During her exchange with Tanaka, Shaka wonders if the latter's piercing words were the 'red spray paint' and she, Mona Lisa? It seems that a lot of what isn't thought of as political is deliberately politicised in this book, including the storytelling (especially the way it ends), making Hunchback a powerful, highly original novel. The reviewer is a Delhi-based queer writer and cultural critic. Instagram/X: @writerly_life. Hunchback Saou Ichikawa, trs Polly Barton Viking ₹599
Chicago Tribune
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Highland Park Players performing Hunchback of Notre Dame musical in concert
Victor Hugo's novel about the deformed bell ringer Quasimodo, who longs for the beautiful Esmeralda, found new life in the 1999 musical, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' by Alan Menken (music) and Stephen Schwartz (lyrics). Highland Park Players is producing a concert version of that expansive tale, March 28-30, at McGrath Family Performing Arts Center, 3424 Illinois Rd., Wilmette. Connor Giles, who directed last year's stunning production of 'Ragtime in Concert,' directs 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Concert.' He is working with a cast of 24, an 18-piece orchestra, and a 33-voice choir. 'The thing that I really love about doing a production in a concert format is that it really forces us to focus on the story itself, focus on the music, the dialogue—and really get to the heart of the story and not rely on all of the bells and whistles that a traditional production might incorporate,' Giles said. The director is a long-time fan of the 'Hunchback' story. 'I am a '90s kid through and through so I grew up on the (1996) Disney movie,' he said. 'It was a film that I absolutely loved as a child. I had not experienced it in quite some time so getting to revisit it — not only the original film but also the musical version onstage in this new way — has been really exciting now as an adult.' For the role of Quasimodo Giles cast Andres DeLeon of Plainfield. 'His vocal ability is so strong,' the director said. 'All of the Quasimodo material is quite difficult and he's really able to execute it at such a high level. That allowed us the opportunity to focus on the character work. He's been such a pleasure to work with.' DeLeon said that his character is experiencing everything for the first time in this show. 'He just wants to be happy,' DeLeon said. 'For a lot of his life, he's had to trust Frollo, his protector.' Quasimodo has to believe that Frollo has his best interests at heart and that his protector is accurately describing the world that exists outside of Quasimodo's tower, the actor indicated. The bellringer has to learn that 'He can make a choice for himself,' DeLeon related. 'He can trust himself.' The biggest challenge of the role for DeLeon is the physicality, he reported. That includes focusing on 'the way he moves' and also the way that the character communicates because he has lost some of his hearing from living in the belltower. DeLeon noted that this is his first principal role — and a large one. He said that he is enjoying the opportunity to create a complete character for himself. To prepare for this part, DeLeon listened to an audiobook of the Victor Hugo novel. He already knew the Disney film. When you watch the movie, the performer said, you realize that Quasimodo 'has to find joy. He has to create his own happiness when he's alone.' Naperville native Rachel Carreras plays Esmeralda. 'Rachel came in and blew us all away with her vocal ability,' Giles said. 'And working through some of the acting portions of her audition, she found a great balance of honoring the source material and still giving us that Disney princess-like character but also finding a lot of strength, a lot of vulnerability, a lot of power in how she's interpreting Esmeralda.' Carreras said that 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' has always been one of her favorite movies and that Esmeralda is her dream role. 'This is my sixth time being called back for this role,' she said. 'I finally get to play it. I am very honored.' The actor described Esmeralda as 'a fighter for the people. She is a justice-seeker. She is kind, she is empathetic, and she's also not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. She's so strong, so resilient. She's an incredible character.' Supporting her people makes her happy, Carreras said. Frollo is her constant obstacle in that goal. Carreras said that she relates strongly to her character because she also 'always wants to love people and meet them where they're at and not have judgment.' Director Giles observed that the story of The Hunchback 'couldn't be more relevant today, even though it takes place many, many, many years ago. It really explores that idea of otherness and what it means to be an 'other.' Everyone will be able to identify with a piece of the story in some way.' Actor Carreras concurred, saying, 'The story could have been written this morning. It is so relevant to what we're going through every day in America. Why is there so much hate just for being different?' Performances of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Concert' are 7:30 p.m. March 28-29 and 2 p.m. March 29-30. Tickets are $33-$48. For reservations, visit
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa review
In my local bookshop, many of the titles on the display table are by female Japanese writers, and can be divided into two categories: the transgressive and the cat-inflected cosy. Hunchback fits gloriously into the former. A debut novel, it won the Akutagawa prize, Japan's most prestigious literary award, and has been longlisted for the International Booker; it is translated by Polly Barton, who also translated last year's potboiler feminist hit, Butter by Asako Yuzuki. It begins with a titillating story about a visit to a sex club, written by our narrator, Shaka, from her room in the care home set up by her parents. She has never been to a sex club. The care home is named, with some irony, Ingleside, after the house Anne of Green Gables lives in with her husband and children. Shaka has myotubular myopathy: her spine is S-shaped and therefore, she says, her life is too, unable to follow the conventions of Japanese society which 'works on the understanding that disabled people don't exist'. When not taking online university courses or writing sex journalism, she tweets things she believes no one will see – 'I'd like to know what it's like to have an abortion', 'In another life, I'd like to work as a high-class prostitute' and 'I want to do the job in swingers' clubs where you get to scatter condoms from the ceiling.' Most of her needs are taken care of; she donates the money she makes from sex writing, so that families can have 'furikake to sprinkle on … rice so then it'd feel like a meal'. And the work is not entirely selfless. As Shaka notes, 'I went to the toilet and changed my pantyliner, where writing the sex scene had left its trace in strings of see-through liquid.' Everyone deserves a little sprinkling of furikake, of joy and flavour, is the novel's easy-to-get-on-board-with philosophy; but when Shaka tries to apply this philosophy to her own needs, things go darkly awry. A male careworker, Tanaka, hints that he's been reading her tweets and erotic stories. A 'beta male', he tells her of his own (financial) disadvantages. She offers him money to have sex with her. Both have power and are powerless, and, in different ways, hold each other in contempt. Is Shaka's goal orgasm, an abortion or true annihilation? The sex act she chooses hints at the final option. In Barton's deft translation, a man who visits a brothel resembles 'a lanky minion' and phlegm is 'like green olive oil'. Faced with a real live penis, Shaka 'had the urge to cut a long strip of flavoured nori to size and stick it on top, to serve as the censoring black bars that I was used to' from erotic manga. Sex for Shaka is mediated through pornography instead of emotion, as it is for many people now. This may be unpalatable for some readers, but the prevalence of porn is discussed with a mischievous and nihilistic humour. There are rants against the fetishisation of bookshops and physical books, which are cumbersome and difficult to handle for someone with Shaka's disability. There are asides on Wagner and his complexes about height, on David Lynch and the disability activist Tomoko Yonezu, who sprayed paint at the Mona Lisa when it was on loan in Tokyo to protest against the fact that people with disabilities had restricted access. The novel asks us which is more important: access to culture or to sexual expression? And, like all good fiction, it doesn't provide a straight answer. Ichikawa uses the vantage point of her disability for a particular insight into human nature, but we mustn't condescend to call this novella autobiographical. Its structure – beginning and ending with a story, the latter possibly written by the narrator, possibly not – would tease us if we do. Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated by Polly Barton, is published by Penguin (£10.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
