© Shintaro Shiratori

TERU MIYAMOTO, born in Kobe in 1947, is among Japan’s most widely read living authors. He has received Japan’s most prestigious literary distinctions, including the Dazai Osamu Prize and the Akutagawa Prize. Several of his works have been made into award-winning movies, including Maborosi, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Oscar-nominated director of Shoplifters.

© Michiko Thomas

ROGER K. THOMAS is a professor of East Asian languages and cultures at Illinois State University, where he also directs the program in East Asian Studies. He has translated two of Teru Miyamoto’s books, along with other works of modern Japanese fiction, including Enchi Fumiko’s A Tale of False Fortunes, winner of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature.