Yasuko Harada

Yasuko Harada (January 12, 1928 October 20, 2009) was a Japanese novelist.

Early life and education Harada was born on January 12, 1928, in Tokyo. She and her family moved to Kushiro, Hokkaido when she was a year old for her father's job. After getting tuberculosis as a child, she had many health problems, including nephritis.

Career Harada's first books were serialized in magazines while she worked as a reporter. Her first published story, "Fuyu no ame", was published in 1949 in the Hokkaido Bungaku magazine. In 1954, her short story "Sabita no kioku" was praised by Shinchō as one of the best short stories of the year, but ultimately did not win their literary prize. Her novel won a Women's Literature Prize, and was her only bestseller. It was made into a film that was directed by Heinosuke Gosho.

Style Harada's works were popular with young women in their twenties and thirties.

Harada's style has been compared to Françoise Sagan.

Selected bibliography

Short stories

Fuyu no ame (冬の雨), 1949 Sabita no kioku (サビタの記憶), 1954 Yuki no su (雪の巣), 1954

Novels

Banka (挽歌), 1956 Itazura (いたずら), 1960 Yameru oka (病める丘), 1960 Satsujinsha (殺人者), 1962 Kita no hayashi (北の林), 1968 Niji (虹), 1975 Nichiyobi no shiroi kumo (日曜日の白い雲), 1979 Kaze no toride (風の砦), 1983 Kaimu (海霧), 2003