Special Guest Program with Natsuo Kirino

Natsuo Kirino has written sixteen full-length novels and four volumes of collective short stories, which are highly acclaimed for her intriguingly intelligent plot development and character portrayal, and her unique perspective of Japanese society after the collapse of the economic bubble.

Her smash hit novel OUT (Kodansha, 1997) became the first work to be translated into English and other languages. OUT was also nominated for the 2004 MWA Edgar Allan Poe Award in the Best Novel Category, which made Kirino the first Japanese writer to be nominated for this major literary award. Her other works are now under way to be translated and published around the world. For more details visit her official site at www.kirino-natsuo.com.

Ms. Kirino will speak about her work and answer questions. There will be a reading from her novel Grotesque, which has been recently translated into English. An interpreter will be provided. RSVP to japancenter@international.ucla.edu. This event is co-sponsored with the Japan Foundation and Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.