Kanako Nishi won the Sakunosuke Oda Prize in 2007 for her novel Tsutenkaku (Osaka Tower), and in 2012 she received the first Kawai Hayao Prize for her novel Fukuwarai (Funny Face). Her masterpiece Saraba! won the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2014. She made her literary debut in 2004 with the short story collection Aoi (Blue).

Born in Tehran, Iran, where her family relocated for her father’s job, she subsequently lived in Japan for several years before moving with her family to Cairo, Egypt, where she spent four of her elementary school years. She now lives and writes in Tokyo.

+ Go back to Literature Festival