Julie Otsuka

Last updated
Julie Otsuka
Born (1962-05-15) May 15, 1962 (age 62)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
LanguageEnglish
Alma mater Yale University
Columbia University
GenreHistorical fiction
Notable works When the Emperor Was Divine
The Buddha in the Attic
Relatives Michael Otsuka
Website
www.julieotsuka.com

Julie Otsuka (born May 15, 1962) is a Japanese-American author. She is known for her historical fiction novels depicting the experiences of Japanese-Americans in the United States.

Contents

Biography

Otsuka was born on May 15, 1962, in Palo Alto, California. Her father worked as an aerospace engineer and her mother worked as a lab technician before she gave birth to Otsuka. Both of her parents were of Japanese descent, with her father was an issei and her mother was a nisei. [1] When she was nine, her family moved to Palos Verdes, California. She has two brothers, one of whom, Michael Otsuka, is a professor at the London School of Economics. [2]

After graduating from high school, Otsuka attended Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art in 1984. She graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Fine Arts in 1999. [3] [4] Her debut novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, deals with Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It was published in 2002 by Alfred A. Knopf. Her second novel, The Buddha in the Attic (2011), is a prequel to When the Emperor Was Divine about Japanese picture brides.

Otsuka's historical fiction novels deal with Japanese and Japanese American characters and their experiences during their respective historical periods. Although she did not live through World War II, her mother, uncle, and two grandparents did, giving Otsuka a personal perspective on the matter. [5] When the Emperor Was Divine portrays the experience of an unnamed family incarcerated in the Japanese-American internment camp. [6] Otsuka has a background as a painter, and her books have vivid imagery. [7] She is a recipient of the Albatros Literaturpreis.

Otsuka lives in New York City. [8] Her most recent book is The Swimmers (2022). The novel tells the story of three women, not known to each other, who use the routing of daily swim laps to hold their lives together until a crack develops in their community pool. [8] [9]

Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry Poster as a Result of Executive Order 9066 Instructions to japanese.png
Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry Poster as a Result of Executive Order 9066

Personal family history and the relation to characters in When the Emperor Was Divine

Following Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 calling for the immediate removal of all Japanese and Japanese-Americans on the West Coast of the United States to Japanese-American internment (concentration) camps. Approximately 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were forcibly taken to one of 10 Japanese internment camps from 1942-1945. While Otsuka's grandfather was arrested by the FBI the day after the bombing of Pearl Habor under suspicion of being a spy [10]

  1. ↑ Oh, Seiwoong (2010). Encyclopedia of Asian-American Literature. Infobase Publishing. p. 232. ISBN   978-1-4381-2088-1.
  2. ↑ Ciabattari, Jane (September 16, 2011). "Novelist Julie Otsuka talks about her new novel which follows the lives of Japanese picture brides coming to America in the 1920s—and her own families' struggles here". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Julie Otsuka". University of the Pacific. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ Yackley, Rachel Baruch (March 24, 2007). "Family's experience colors novel about internment". Daily Herald . Paddock Publications. Retrieved July 16, 2012.(subscription required)
  5. ↑ "Julie Otsuka Interview | IndieBound.org". www.indiebound.org. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  6. ↑ "When The Emperor Was Divine". Julie Otsuka, Author. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  7. ↑ Amato. "Julie Otsuka". Julie Otsuka. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "About Julie Otsuka". julieotsuka.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  9. ↑ Khong, Rachel (2022-02-11). "Julie Otsuka Dives Into the Underground World of the Community Pool". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  10. ↑ "When the Emperor Was Divine". www.arts.gov. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2024-11-11.

, Otsuka's grandmother, mother, and uncle

Awards and honors

In 2002, When the Emperor Was Divine received the distinctions of New York Times Notable Book and Best Book of the Year from the San Francisco Chronicle . [1]

In 2004, Otsuka received a Guggenheim Fellowship. [2]

In 2011, The Buddha in the Attic was a New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle bestseller.

In 2022, Publishers Weekly named The Swimmers one of the top ten works of fiction published that year. [3]

In 2022, Otsuka received a Children's Literary Association Phoenix Award for When the Emperor Was Divine. [1]

Awards for Otsuka's writing
YearTitleAwardCategoryResultRef.
2003 When the Emperor Was Divine Asian American Literary Award —Won [4]
Alex Award —Won [5]
2011 The Buddha in the Attic Los Angeles Times Book Prize Fiction Finalist [6]
Langum Prize Historical FictionWon [7]
National Book Award Fiction Finalist [8]
2012 Arts and Letters Awards LiteratureWon [9]
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction —Won [10]
Prix Femina Étranger —Won [11]
2014 Albatros Literaturpreis —Won [12]
2023The Swimmers Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence FictionWon [13]

Works

Short content

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References

  1. 1 2
  2. ↑ Julie Otsuka - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, "Julie Otsuka - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  3. ↑ "Best Books 2022: Publishers Weekly". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  4. ↑ "'When the Emperor Was Divine'... and When Japanese Americans Were Rounded Up". Asia Society. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Alex Awards | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  6. ↑ "2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize – Fiction Winner and Nominees". Awards Archive. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  7. ↑ "Past Winners of the David J. Langum Sr. Prizes". The Langum Charitable Trust. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  8. ↑ "5 Under 35". Shelf Awareness . September 28, 2012. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  9. ↑ ""2012 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award"". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  10. ↑ "Past Winners & Finalists". Archived from the original on 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  11. ↑ "US writer Julie Otsuka wins Femina foreign novel prize". France24. November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Albatros-Literaturpreis an Julie Otsuka und Katja Scholtz". Focus. 15 December 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ JCARMICHAEL (2022-10-03). "2023 Winners". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  14. ↑ Otsuka, Julie. "Diem Perdidi". *Granta Magazine*, vol. 117. October 27, 2011.
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