American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (1983) Winner
Joy Kogawa
ジョイ・コガワ
Joy Kogawa
Pen Names:
Joy Nozomi Kogawa（Formal name used in official records）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1935-06-06 （Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada）
- Nationality
- Canadian
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Unknown (has connections to Anglican institutions)
- Residence History
- Vancouver (birth and childhood) → Slocan (internment camp period) → Coaldale (postwar resettlement) → Toronto (long-term residence)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, novelist, children's author, narrator/scriptwriter
- Active Years
- 1967-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alberta | — | — | — | 1954 - ? | Canada |
| Anglican Women's Training College | — | — | — | 1956 | Canada |
| The Royal Conservatory of Music | — | — | — | 1956 | Canada |
| University of Saskatchewan | — | — | — | 1968 - ? | Canada |
University of Alberta
Period:
1954 - ?
Country:
Canada
Attended in 1954
Anglican Women's Training College
Period:
1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
Canada
Attended the Anglican women's training college
The Royal Conservatory of Music
Period:
1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
Canada
Studied at the conservatory
University of Saskatchewan
Period:
1968 - ?
Country:
Canada
Attended in 1968
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Order of Canada (Member) | — | — | Government of Canada | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Order of British Columbia (Member) | — | — | Province of British Columbia | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Order of the Rising Sun | — | — | Government of Japan | 受賞 |
| 1982 | Books in Canada First Novel Award | Obasan | — | Books in Canada | 受賞 |
| 1982 | Canadian Authors Association Book of the Year | Obasan | — | Canadian Authors Association | 受賞 |
| 1982 | American Book Award | Obasan | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2020 | Canadian Screen Award for Best Video Game Narrative | East of the Rockies | — | Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television | 受賞 |
Order of Canada (Member)
1986
Organization:
Government of Canada
Result:
受賞
Order of British Columbia (Member)
2006
Organization:
Province of British Columbia
Result:
受賞
Order of the Rising Sun
2010
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受賞
Books in Canada First Novel Award
1982
Work:
Obasan
Organization:
Books in Canada
Result:
受賞
Canadian Authors Association Book of the Year
1982
Work:
Obasan
Organization:
Canadian Authors Association
Result:
受賞
American Book Award
1982
Work:
Obasan
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Canadian Screen Award for Best Video Game Narrative
2020
Work:
East of the Rockies
Organization:
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Obasan
1981 Semi-autobiographical novel / historical fictionA semi-autobiographical novel that portrays the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II and the intergenerational memories and family history that follow.
internmentmemoryidentityfamily history
Adaptations
- [children's book / opera] Naomi's Road / Obasan-related opera (1986)
Naomi's Road
1986 Children's literatureA children's adaptation of Obasan, telling the story of internment and family from a child's perspective.
internmentfamilycoming-of-age
Adaptations
- [opera] Naomi's Road (school touring opera) (1990)
East of the Rockies
2019 Augmented reality narrative / non-fiction projectAn AR narrative project that conveys the internment experience of Japanese Canadians to younger audiences.
historical memoryeducationtechnology and storytelling
The Rain Ascends
1995 novelA novel dealing with family, memory, and loss.
memorylossfamily
Bibliography
- The Splintered Moon
- A Choice of Dreams
- Jericho Road
- Six Poems
- What Do I Remember of the Evacuation?
- Woman in the Woods
- A Song of Lilith
- A Garden of Anchors: Selected Poems
- Obasan
- Itsuka / Emily Kato
- The Rain Ascends
- Naomi's Road
- Naomi's Tree
- Gently to Nagasaki
- East of the Rockies
Adaptations
- School touring opera based on Naomi's Road (Vancouver Opera and others)
- East of the Rockies (augmented reality project)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, retrospective prosenarration that weaves historical detail with personal memory
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and forgettinginternment and resettlementfamily ties and rupture
Legacy
Joy Kogawa transformed the internment experience of Japanese Canadians into literature, leaving a significant mark on Canadian and Asian North American literature. Obasan is regarded as an important book in Canadian history and is widely taught. Her childhood home has been the focus of preservation efforts and related public discussion.
Academic Societies
- Canadian Authors Association
Archives
- Library and Archives Canada (Joy Kogawa fonds, R5678)
In Popular Culture
- Inclusion as a staple in Asian American literature courses in universities
- Educational AR project 'East of the Rockies'
Trivia
- She experienced the internment of Japanese Canadians as a child (Slocan internment camp).
- Obasan is a semi-autobiographical work regarded as a significant book in Canadian literary history.
- A campaign to save Kogawa House led to its preservation and eventual acquisition by the city.
- She was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government in 2010.