LONDON, Jul 04 (News On Japan) –
Japanese writer Akira Otani’s novel Baba Yaga’s Night has received the Dagger Award within the translated fiction class—marking the primary time a Japanese author has obtained the consideration from what’s broadly thought to be the world’s high prize in crime and thriller literature.
The award ceremony, hosted by the UK’s Crime Writers’ Association, came about in London on July third. Otani’s novel, translated into English by Sam Bett, was introduced the winner of the Dagger Award for translated crime fiction.
Baba Yaga’s Night follows the story of a girl named Yoriko Shindo, who thrives on violence, and her complicated, unnamed relationship with the daughter of a yakuza boss she is assigned to guard. The novel blends high-paced motion with themes equivalent to feminine solidarity and misogyny, tackling gender points head-on.
In an interview with JNN forward of the award announcement, Otani stated: “If you try to center women in any genre in Japan, it’s impossible to avoid misogyny. If you’re trying to depict reality, you have to face it. I think female readers, across cultures and borders, could probably relate to that shared experience.”
Founded in 1955, the Dagger Awards are thought of among the many most prestigious accolades in world crime and thriller writing. While earlier Japanese authors equivalent to Hideo Yokoyama (Six Four), Keigo Higashino (The Devotion of Suspect X), and Kotaro Isaka (Maria Beetle) have been shortlisted, Otani is the primary Japanese recipient.
Maxim Jakubowski, chair of the judging panel, praised the e book’s originality: “It fused manga culture, yakuza cinema, Takeshi Kitano influences, and strong LGBTQ elements. The combination was highly distinctive.”
Otani’s win additionally highlights the continued rise of Japanese ladies writers in world literary circles. This yr’s shortlist additionally featured Asako Yuzuki’s BUTTER, which has offered greater than 400,000 copies within the UK.