Chisako Wakatake

Chisako Wakatake (born 1954 in Tōno, Iwate, Japan) is a Japanese novelist who began writing full-time at age 55 after her husband's death, drawing from experiences of age and loneliness. Her debut novel Ora ora de hitori igu mo (2017), about a Tōhoku dialect-speaking widow, won the 54th Bungei Prize (oldest recipient at 63) and the 158th Akutagawa Prize (second oldest recipient), significantly raising awareness of her hometown.