A completely individual writer, who described the intricacies of sexual relationships boldly, committedly, utterly fearlessly. And yet her writing is writing that doesn’t actually ‘bare all,’ but rather hints at what lies underneath—at things deep, quiet, and mysterious.

Yoko Tawada

Kono Taeko

Taeko Kono (1926-2015) was born in Tokyo, Japan. She is one of the most well known Japanese woman writers and has won many of Japan’s top literary prizes (the Akutagawa, the Tanizaki, and the Noma).

A completely individual writer, who described the intricacies of sexual relationships boldly, committedly, utterly fearlessly. And yet her writing is writing that doesn’t actually ‘bare all,’ but rather hints at what lies underneath—at things deep, quiet, and mysterious.

Yoko Tawada

Japanese master of the unsettling: Kono should be an electrifying discovery for English-speaking lovers of short fiction. Each story unburies something that feels both thrillingly specific and surprisingly contemporary.

Kirkus (starred review)

Kono’s intimate descriptions of unhappy relationships are not only unexpectedly frank, but often genuinely shocking.

The Boston Review

Kono’s unsparing gaze penetrates the depths of human nature, and she sets forth what she finds there with absolute precision.

Shusaku Endo

Reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor’s works, Kono’s stories explore the dark, terrifying side of human nature that manifests itself in antisocial behavior.

World Literature Today

Reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor’s works, Kono Taeko’s disquieting stories explore the dark side of human nature with an original voice and a strange, powerful beauty.

Translation Review

At once the most carnally direct and the most lucidly intelligent woman writing in Japan.

Kenzaburo Oe
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