Mieko Kawakami writes about women and gender, but she wishes society would progress to a point where she didn’t have to. In 2008 she won the Akutagawa Prize, arguably Japan’s most prestigious literary award, for her novella Chichi to Ran, or Breasts and Eggs, which explores body image in modern Japan through the relationships between a girl, her mother and her aunt. Kawakami expanded the story into a novel, which will be published in English by Picador in spring 2020. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Five Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 45 Lisa Taddeo On writing the secret lives of women. Arts & Culture Issue 42 Torrey Peters The Detransition, Baby author is living her best life. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Archive: Jean Stein Annick Weber chronicles the life of one of New York’s great storytellers. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Susanna Moore The sharp-eyed writer on high society and her supermodel past. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Nic Stone How can a young adult fiction author tackle racism, inequality and incarceration—but not rob teen readers of their optimism? Arts & Culture Issue 38 Abby Stein Unorthodox author Deborah Feldman meets Rabbi Abby Stein.
Arts & Culture Issue 39 Archive: Jean Stein Annick Weber chronicles the life of one of New York’s great storytellers.
Arts & Culture Issue 39 Nic Stone How can a young adult fiction author tackle racism, inequality and incarceration—but not rob teen readers of their optimism?
