Mieko Takizawa

Mieko Takizawa (1939–2020) was a Japanese novelist born in Niigata Prefecture who studied Chinese at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies before working in business and marrying in 1980, after which she became a housewife and began writing. Her debut novel Nekobaba no iru Machi de (1989) won both the Bungakukai Newcomers Award and the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, marking her as a notable late-blooming literary figure. Other works include Yūgao no Yado (1991), Dontsuku Hayashi (1995), and Hiren Kirubeshi (1995).