Kawakami Hiromi

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Kawakami Hiromi (川上弘美 Kawakami Hiromi) born April 1, 1958, is a Japanese writer. She made her first debut as “Yamada Hiromi” in NW-SF #16, edited by Yamano Koichi and Yamada Kazuko, in 1980 with the story So-shimoku (“Diptera”), and also helped edit some early issues of NW-SF in the 1970’s. She reinvented herself as a writer and made her second debut in mainstream literature in 1994. Since then she has become one of the most popular writers in Japan.

Born in Tokyo, she graduated from Ochanomizu Women's College. Her first novel God (Kamisama) was published in 1994. In 1996, she was awarded the Akutagawa Prize for Tread On A Snake (Hebi wo fumu). In 2000, she went on to win the Tanizaki Prize for her novel The Teacher's Briefcase (Sensei no kaban), a love story between a woman in her thirties and a man in his seventies. Her 2005 collection of stories, "Nakano Thrift Store" (Furudogu Nakano Shoten), won the Itô Sei Prize.