Oba MinakoŌba Minako was born in 1930 and died in 2007. She debuted as a writer in 1968 with Sanbiki no kani (Three Crabs), which won the Akutagawa Prize, a prestigious literary prize awarded to new authors. She went on to write several dozen novels, essays, lterary criticism, poetry, and a play. She also translated children’s books from English into Japanese and Japanese classics into modern Japanese. Ōba received numerous literary awards and played an active role in the Japanese literary world, serving as the first member of the Akutagawa Prize selection committee, vice president of the Japan P.E.N. Club, and head of the Women Writers’ Association. She was elected to the Japan Art Academy in 1991. Read More Read Less