"Historically, Japan has not made great strides in queer rights, and queer people have long been underrepresented even in literary works. However, in the past decade, LGBTQ+ has gained more visibility in Japanese society, and many literary works depicting queer subjects have appeared on the scene. Emerging as an important proponent of Japanese queer literature, the novelist Li Kotomi, since her debut, has been actively creating a tapestry of stories featuring various queer people, including lesbians. For the talk, Li Kotomi will explore the past, present, and future of Japan’s LGBTQ+ community and queer literature."
Bio:
Born in 1989, the writer Li Kotomi won the Gunzo Literary Prize with their debut novel Solo Dance, a work written in Japanese, the writer’s second language. In 2021, Li won the Artistic Award for New Artists for The Night Polaris Falls and the Akutagawa Literature Prize for The Island Where Red Spider Lilies Bloom. Li’s works have been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, English, Spanish, and Polish.
Zeit: 11. März 2025, 16 Uhr
Ort: 370 Dwinelle Hall, South Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
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