青桐 (The Phoenix Tree)

Satoko Kizaki (born November 6, 1939, in Hsin Cheng, Manchuria) is a Japanese novelist best known for her Akutagawa Prize-winning novel The Phoenix Tree (Aogiri, 1985), which depicts a young woman caring for her dying aunt. Born Masako Yokoyama, she studied comparative literature in Paris, debuted with the award-winning story Rasoku in 1980, and often explores themes of women overcoming physical and spiritual challenges, influenced by her Catholic faith. com