Sayaka Murata Explained

Sayaka Murata
Native Name:村田沙耶香
Native Name Lang:ja
Birth Date:14 August 1979
Language:Japanese
Genre:Fiction
Alma Mater:Tamagawa University
Notableworks:
Awards:

Sayaka Murata (村田沙耶香 Murata Sayaka; born August 14, 1979) is a Japanese writer. She has won the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the Mishima Yukio Prize, the Noma Literary New Face Prize, and the Akutagawa Prize.

Biography

Murata was born in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1979. As a child, she often read science fiction and mystery novels borrowed from her brother and mother, and her mother bought her a word processor after she attempted to write a novel by hand in the fourth grade of elementary school.[1] After Murata completed middle school in Inzai, her family moved to Tokyo, where she graduated from Kashiwa High School (attached to Nishogakusha University) and attended Tamagawa University.[2]

Her first novel, Jyunyū (Breastfeeding), won the 2003 Gunzo Prize for New Writers.[3] In 2013 she won the Mishima Yukio Prize for Shiro-iro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, Of Body Heat, Of Whitening City), and in 2014 the Special Prize of the Sense of Gender Award.[4] [5] In 2016 her 10th novel, Konbini ningen (Convenience Store Woman), won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize,[6] and she was named one of Vogue Japan's Women of the Year.[7] Konbini ningen has sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan[8] and in 2018 it became her first book to be translated into English, under the title Convenience Store Woman.[9] It has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Murata worked part-time as a convenience store clerk in Tokyo for eighteen years until 2017.[10]

Writing style

Murata's writing explores the different consequences of nonconformity in society for men and women, particularly with regard to gender roles, parenthood, and sex.[11] Many of the themes and character backstories in her writing come from her daily observations as a part-time convenience store worker. Societal acceptance of sexlessness in various forms, including asexuality, voluntary and involuntary celibacy, especially within marriage, recurs as a theme in several of her works, such as the novels Shōmetsu sekai (Dwindling World) and Konbini ningen (Convenience Store Woman), and the short story "A Clean Marriage."[12] [13] Murata is also known for her frank depictions of adolescent sexuality in work such as Gin iro no uta (Silver Song)[14] and Shiro-iro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City).[15] In Satsujin shussan, she depicts a future society which may be seen as dystopic for the use of Reproduction Technologies and the strange system called Birth-Murder System.

Themes

Challenging taboos

Murata often places challenging taboos at the forefront of her most popular works.[16] The title Earthlings focuses on an 11-year-old girl named Natsuki, with her boyfriend and cousin, Yuu, who believe themselves to be aliens due to their tumultuous relationship with their family. The story quickly develops into a harsh tale containing themes of "sexual abuse, murder, and cannibalism." Murata states on challenging taboos: "For example, murder is said to be taboo, but then why is it considered acceptable if it’s legitimate self-defense or capital punishment? I sensed the ambiguity in my childish mind. And I felt a physical repulsion and fear inside me toward incest and cannibalism, although I didn’t know why they were forbidden. I wondered where those emotions came from.” Murata believes that the more she writes about the questioning of these taboos, the closer she will come to the "real truth of things."

Conformity

The topic of conformity is common in Japanese literature and culture, and Murata frequently questions its validity, especially in Convenience Store Woman.[17] Conformity is often placed at the heart of Japanese culture, a notion that Murata frequently explores within her works. In this work, Keiko, the main heroine, finds herself trying to escape from reality's expectations of marrying and choosing a traditional career.[18] Keiko eventually finds that her convenience store job is her only way to feel in touch with society, a "normal cog in society."

Asexuality

Many of Murata's main heroines find themselves in asexual relationships, such as Natsuki in Earthling and Keiko in Convenience Store Woman.[19] [20] Asexuality is a theme that coincides with questioning the standards society typically expects from citizens, a notion that Murata explores frequently.

Global warming and climate change

Murata published a short story within the anthology titled Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change detailing a dystopian Japanese society built upon ranks given to humans based upon the likelihood that they survive until they're 65 with anyone falling below a specific rank becoming "feral."[21] The short story titled Survival detailed the accounts of the world if global warming was left unattended, with torrential rain showers becoming commonplace and the remaining animals of the world only including humans, cockroaches, and cats. The increased likelihood of precipitation is supported heavily as well as the likelihood of cockroaches remaining as the Earth's only surviving species if climate change was left unaddressed.[22] [23]

Recognition

!Year!Prize!Work!Notes
2003Gunzo Prize for New Writers"Junyū"
2009Mishima Yukio PrizeGin'iro no Uta
2009Noma Literary New Face Prize[24]
2010Mishima Yukio PrizeHoshi ga Sū Mizu
2012Mishima Yukio PrizeTadaima Tobira
2013Mishima Yukio PrizeShiroiro no Machi no, Sono Hone no Taion no
2014Sense of Gender Awards[25] Satsujin Shussan
2016Akutagawa PrizeConvenience Store Woman

Bibliography

Short story collections

Short story collections by Sayaka Murata
TitleYearOriginal ISBNOriginal publisherStoriesNotes
2005Kodansha
2009Shinchosha
2010Kodansha
2014Kodansha
  • "A Clean Marriage" was published in English in Granta 127: Japan in 2014, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[26]
  • "Final Days" was published in English in Freeman's: Change in 2021, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[27]
2019Kawade Shobo Shinsha
  • The collection was published in English by Grove Atlantic in 2022, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[28]
  • "A First-Rate Material" was published in English in Freeman's: The Future of New Writing in 2017, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[29]
  • "A Summer Night's Kiss" was published in English in Astra: Ecstasy in 2022, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[30]
2020Kadokawa
2022Bungeishunjū
  • "Faith" was published in English in Granta: The Online Edition in 2020, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[31]
  • "Survival" was published in English in Tales of Two Planets in 2022, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[32]

Novels

Novels by Sayaka Murata
TitleYearOriginal ISBNOriginal publisherNotes
2008Kodansha
2011Shueisha
2012Shinchosha
2012Asahi Shimbun
2015Kawade Shobo ShinshaPublished in English as Vanishing World by Grove Atlantic in 2025, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[33]
2016BungeishunjūPublished in English by Grove Atlantic in 2018, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[34]
2018ShinchosaPublished in English by Grove Atlantic in 2020, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.[35]
2019Chikuma Shobō

Other works

Notes and References

  1. News: August 20, 2017 . 村田沙耶香インタビュー「バイトは週3日、週末はダメ人間です」 . ja . Bungeishunjū . June 14, 2018 . June 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615004753/http://bunshun.jp/articles/-/3687 . live .
  2. News: July 21, 2016 . 印西出身の村田沙耶香さん 入学時文集「いつか理想の自分に」 二松学舎大学付属柏高、母校も喜びに沸く ／千葉 . ja . Mainichi . June 14, 2018 . May 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513102742/https://mainichi.jp/articles/20160721/ddl/k12/040/584000c . dead .
  3. Web site: Gunzo Awards . June 14, 2018 . Gunzo . ja . May 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513102735/http://gunzo.kodansha.co.jp/awards . live .
  4. Specchio . Anna . July 5, 2018 . Eutopizing the Dystopia. Gender Roles, Motherhood and Reproduction in Murata Sayaka's "Satsujin Shussan" . Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies and Theory . 4 . 1 . 94–108 . 10.24193/mjcst.2018.5.06 . 2457-8827 . free.
  5. Web site: | 新潮社 . 新潮社コーポレートサイト . 2024-01-29 . 2022-10-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221023063201/https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/prizes/mishimasho/ . live .
  6. News: Kikuchi . Daisuke . July 20, 2016 . Convenience store worker who moonlights as an author wins prestigious Akutagawa Prize . The Japan Times . April 8, 2018 . January 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190108040507/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/20/national/convenience-store-worker-who-moonlights-as-novelist-wins-prestigious-akutagawa-prize/ . live .
  7. News: Nov 24, 2016 . 高畑充希、飛躍の一年を回顧「台風の目にいるような感じ」 . Oricon News . February 12, 2018 . June 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190623063143/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2081875/full/ . live .
  8. Web site: Tagholm . Roger . January 31, 2019 . Granta buys new Sayaka Murata novel . February 17, 2021 . thebookseller.com . January 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220117012551/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/granta-buys-new-murata-novel-942086 . live .
  9. Web site: Freeman . John . November 16, 2017 . In Praise of Sayaka Murata . February 17, 2021 . Literary Hub . March 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329031142/https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-sayaka-murata/ . live .
  10. News: Rich . Motoko . June 11, 2018 . For Japanese Novelist Sayaka Murata, Odd Is the New Normal . New York Times . subscription required . subscription . November 22, 2021 . May 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230523135901/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/books/japanese-novelist-sayaka-murata-convenience-store-woman.html . live .
  11. News: Rich . Motoko . June 11, 2018 . For Japanese Novelist Sayaka Murata, Odd Is the New Normal . The New York Times . June 14, 2018 . May 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230523135901/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/books/japanese-novelist-sayaka-murata-convenience-store-woman.html . live .
  12. Web site: Fallon . Claire . June 12, 2018 . Amid All The Talk Of Incels, A Solitary Woman's Story . June 13, 2018 . HuffPost . June 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180613164251/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/convenience-store-woman_us_5b198ae5e4b0adfb8267207e . live .
  13. Web site: Tapley Takamori . Ginny . April 24, 2014 . Translator's Note: A Clean Marriage . June 14, 2018 . Granta . July 25, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160725203709/http://granta.com/a-clean-marriage/ . live .
  14. Web site: Silver Song . June 14, 2018 . Books from Japan . June 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111119/http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/publications/item/899-silver-song . live .
  15. Web site: Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City . June 14, 2018 . Books from Japan . June 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111120/http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/publications/item/2078-of-bones-of-body-heat-of-whitening-city . live .
  16. Web site: 2020-11-04 . Aliens and Alienation: The Taboo-Challenging Worlds of "Earthlings" Author Murata Sayaka . 2021-12-05 . nippon.com . en . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073715/https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/e00175/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2018-06-11 . "Convenience Store Woman": Life by the Book . 2021-12-05 . nippon.com . en . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073714/https://www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-japan/bg900003/ . live .
  18. 2018-06-21 . Sayaka Murata's Eerie "Convenience Store Woman" Is a Love Story Between a Misfit and a Store . 2021-12-05 . The New Yorker . en-US . 2024-01-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129141657/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/sayaka-murata-eerie-convenience-store-woman-is-a-love-story-between-a-misfit-and-a-store . live .
  19. Web site: Hayes . Stephanie . 2020-11-09 . A Dystopian Novel That Challenges Taboos and Refuses Judgment . 2021-12-05 . The Atlantic . en . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073714/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/11/sayaka-murata-earthlings-gruesome-dystopia/617007/ . live .
  20. News: Garner . Dwight . 2018-07-23 . 'Convenience Store Woman' Casts a Fluorescent Spell . en-US . The New York Times . 2021-12-05 . 0362-4331 . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073714/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/books/review-convenience-store-woman-sayaka-murata.html . live .
  21. Web site: A Trip Through a Wounded Landscape: On John Freeman's "Tales of Two Planets" . 2021-12-05 . Cleveland Review of Books . en-US . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073715/https://www.clereviewofbooks.com/home/2020/10/21/a-trip-through-a-wounded-landscape-on-john-freemans-tales-of-two-planets . live .
  22. Witze . Alexandra . 2018-11-20 . Why extreme rains are gaining strength as the climate warms . Nature . en . 563 . 7732 . 458–460 . 10.1038/d41586-018-07447-1 . 30459384 . 2018Natur.563..458W . 53722768 . 2024-01-29 . 2023-08-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230827155224/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07447-1 . live .
  23. Web site: Ro . Christine . The animals that will survive climate change . 2021-12-05 . www.bbc.com . en . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205073714/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190730-the-animals-that-will-survive-climate-change . live .
  24. Web site: 過去の受賞作品 . June 21, 2018 . Kodansha . ja . May 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513102754/https://www.kodansha.co.jp/award/noma_n/51260.html . dead .
  25. Web site: August 29, 2015 . 2014年度 第14回Sense of Gender賞 . June 21, 2018 . The Japanese Association for Gender Fantasy and Science Fiction . ja . June 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180622083755/http://gender-sf.org/sog/2014/ . live .
  26. Web site: Murata . Sayaka . April 24, 2014 . A Clean Marriage . June 14, 2018 . Granta . January 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129141658/https://granta.com/a-clean-marriage/ . live .
  27. Book: October 12, 2021 . Freeman's: Change . May 27, 2022 . Grove Atlantic . May 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220527190504/https://groveatlantic.com/book/freemans-change/ . live .
  28. Book: Life Ceremony . May 27, 2022 . Grove Atlantic . May 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230529041201/https://groveatlantic.com/book/life-ceremony/ . live .
  29. Web site: October 10, 2017 . Freeman's: The Future of New Writing . May 27, 2022 . Freeman's . January 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240129141657/https://www.freemansbiannual.com/copy-of-freeman-s-home . live .
  30. Book: Murata, Sayaka . April 12, 2022 . A Summer Night's Kiss . May 27, 2022 . Astra House . Literary magazine . 9781662619007 . May 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220520071522/https://astra-mag.com/articles/a-summer-nights-kiss/ . live .
  31. Web site: Murata . Sayaka . November 18, 2020 . Faith . May 27, 2022 . Granta . June 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625225150/https://granta.com/faith-sayaka-murata/ . live .
  32. Web site: Tales of Two Planets: 9780143133926 . May 27, 2022 . Penguin Random House . May 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220527190502/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/599674/tales-of-two-planets-by-edited-by-john-freeman/ . live .
  33. Book: Vanishing World . Grove Atlantic . November 24, 2024 . live.
  34. Book: Convenience Store Woman . June 6, 2018 . Grove Atlantic . March 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220307061136/https://groveatlantic.com/book/convenience-store-woman/ . live .
  35. Book: Earthlings . March 10, 2021 . Grove Atlantic . January 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230128003356/https://groveatlantic.com/book/earthlings/ . live .
  36. Web site: 2018-08-09 . Chameleon . 2023-01-10 . Granta . en-US . 2022-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203122722/https://granta.com/chameleon/ . live .
  37. Web site: Murata . Sayaka . December 2, 2019 . The Future of Sex Lives in All of Us . The New York Times . January 29, 2024 . November 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231116203837/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/opinion/future-sex-society.html . live .

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