| Kōtarō Isaka | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1971 Matsudo Chiba Prefecture |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Period | 2000 - |
| Genres | Mystery/crime novels |
| Notable award(s) | 57th Japanese Detective Novel Author's Association Award 21st |
Kōtarō Isaka (伊坂 幸太郎 Isaka Kōtarō, born 25 May 1971) is a Japanese author of detective fiction.
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Isaka was born in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the law school of Tohoku University he went on to work as a systems engineer. He wrote short stories in his free time which he submitted to literary competitions. In 2000 he won the Shinchou Mystery Club Prize with debut work Audubon’s prayer, after which he became a professional author.
In 2002 Isaka's novel Lush Life began to garner critical attention, but it was his Naoki Prize nominated 2003 work Gravity Clown (Juryoku Piero, filmed in 2009 starring Ryō Kase) which led to him becoming widely known amongst regular readers. His following work Foreign Duck, Native Duck Coin-locker went on to win the 25th Eiji Yoshikawa Newcomer’s Prize for Literature.
Isaka is often referred to as a mystery writer, however he does not allow himself to be constrained by this definition, attracting many fans amongst the younger generation.
2003's Gravity Clown, 2004's Children and Grasshopper, 2005's Accuracy of Death and 2006's Desert were all nominated for the Naoki Prize. In addition Isaka is the only author to have been nominated for the first 4 years of the Honya Taisho, finally winning the 5th in 2008 with Remote Control(Golden Slumber). The same work also won the 21st Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and led to Isaka being selected for the Naoki Prize. Isaka turned down the nomination citing his desire to focus on writing.