Kōno Taeko

Taeko Kōno (1926-2015) was a Japanese writer renowned for her dark, psychologically intense short stories exploring themes of sexuality, identity, and pathology in women's lives, with notable works including "Toddler-Hunting" (1961), the Akutagawa Prize-winning "Crabs" (1963), and "A Year-long Pastoral" (1980, Tanizaki Prize). She achieved major literary success, winning the Akutagawa, Tanizaki, Yomiuri, Noma Literary, and Women's Literary Prizes, serving on the Akutagawa committee as one of the first women, and receiving the Order of Culture in 2014.Taeko Kono