Asian American Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (2003) Winner
Julie Otsuka
ジュリー・オツカ
Jurī Otsuka
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1962-05-15 （Palo Alto, California, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Palo Alto (born) → Palos Verdes (childhood) → New York City (resides)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Author
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Influenced By
- Family's wartime experiences (Japanese American internment), Background in painting / visual art
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University | — | Art | Bachelor of Arts | 1980–1984 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Creative writing / MFA | Master of Fine Arts | 1997–1999 | United States |
Yale University
Art
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Period:
1980–1984
Year of Graduation:
1984
Country:
United States
BA in Art
Columbia University
Creative writing / MFA
Degree:
Master of Fine Arts
Period:
1997–1999
Year of Graduation:
1999
Country:
United States
MFA
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Asian American Literary Award | When the Emperor Was Divine | — | Asian American Literary Awards | Won |
| 2003 | Alex Award | When the Emperor Was Divine | — | American Library Association (ALA) | Won |
| 2004 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | Won |
| 2011 | Langum Prize (Historical Fiction) | The Buddha in the Attic | Historical Fiction | Langum Charitable Trust | Won |
| 2011 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize | The Buddha in the Attic | Fiction | Los Angeles Times | Finalist |
| 2011 | National Book Award | The Buddha in the Attic | Fiction | National Book Foundation | Finalist |
| 2012 | Arts and Letters Awards (American Academy of Arts and Letters) | — | Literature | American Academy of Arts and Letters | Won |
| 2012 | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | The Buddha in the Attic | — | PEN/Faulkner Foundation | Won |
| 2012 | Prix Femina Étranger | The Buddha in the Attic | — | Prix Femina | Won |
| 2014 | Albatros Literaturpreis | — | — | Albatros | Won |
| 2022 | Phoenix Award | When the Emperor Was Divine | — | Children's Literature Association | Won |
| 2023 | Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence | The Swimmers | Fiction | Reference & User Services Association (RUSA) | Won |
Asian American Literary Award
2003
Work:
When the Emperor Was Divine
Organization:
Asian American Literary Awards
Result:
Won
Alex Award
2003
Work:
When the Emperor Was Divine
Organization:
American Library Association (ALA)
Result:
Won
Guggenheim Fellowship
2004
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
Won
Langum Prize (Historical Fiction)
2011
Work:
The Buddha in the Attic
Category:
Historical Fiction
Organization:
Langum Charitable Trust
Result:
Won
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2011
Work:
The Buddha in the Attic
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
Finalist
National Book Award
2011
Work:
The Buddha in the Attic
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Finalist
Arts and Letters Awards (American Academy of Arts and Letters)
2012
Category:
Literature
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
Won
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2012
Work:
The Buddha in the Attic
Organization:
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result:
Won
Prix Femina Étranger
2012
Work:
The Buddha in the Attic
Organization:
Prix Femina
Result:
Won
Albatros Literaturpreis
2014
Organization:
Albatros
Result:
Won
Phoenix Award
2022
Work:
When the Emperor Was Divine
Organization:
Children's Literature Association
Result:
Won
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence
2023
Work:
The Swimmers
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Reference & User Services Association (RUSA)
Result:
Won
Awards & Nominations
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (2012) Winner
-
Edition 12 (2023) Winner
RUSA awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2023) Winner
Works
Major Works
When the Emperor Was Divine
2002 Historical fictionA novel depicting the forced removal and internment of a Japanese American family during World War II, told through spare, unnamed perspectives focusing on memory and loss.
InternmentIdentityMemoryFamily
The Buddha in the Attic
2011 Historical fictionA novel in which Japanese picture brides who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 20th century are portrayed collectively, exploring assimilation, marriage, and discrimination.
ImmigrationWomen's experiencesCollective voiceAssimilation
The Swimmers
2022 Contemporary fiction with historical elementsTells the story of three women who rely on daily lap swimming to hold their lives together until a crack in their community pool disrupts everything — inspired in part by the author's experience with her mother's frontotemporal dementia.
CaregivingLossCommunityMemory
Bibliography
- When the Emperor Was Divine (2002)
- The Buddha in the Attic (2011)
- The Swimmers (2022)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Spare, restrained proseUse of collective 'we' narrative at timesStrong visual imagery (influenced by painting background)
- Recurring Motifs
- Memory and silenceMigration and assimilationFamily historiesLoss and recovery
Legacy
Julie Otsuka has been widely praised for her novels exploring Japanese American experiences, memory, identity, and trauma and healing. She has received multiple international literary awards and is frequently discussed in scholarly work and taught in academic settings.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (award-giving organization)
Quotes
-
“Everything I write seems to be about her in some way—this is especially true in The Swimmers. Even when I try not to write about her, she somehow surfaces in the work, if only as a ghostly penumbra.”
Source: Interview / author statement (cited 2022) (2022)
Trivia
- Born in Palo Alto in 1962.
- Has a background as a painter; strong visual descriptions characterize her prose.
- Her family's World War II internment experience is a major subject of her work.
- Her mother's frontotemporal dementia influenced the writing of The Swimmers.