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Nora Okja Keller

ノラ・オクジャ・ケラー

Nora Okja Keller

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1966-12-22 （Seoul, South Korea）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Hawaii (since age 3)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, English teacher
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Punahou School (faculty)
Influenced By
Maxine Hong Kingston, Jade Snow Wong, Joy Kogawa, Keum Ja Hwang (comfort woman whose testimony inspired Keller)
Influenced
Tae Keller (her daughter; children's/YA author)

Education

Punahou School
Degree: High School Diploma
Country: United States
Private school in Honolulu. Secondary education.
University of Hawaii
Psychology and English (double major)
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Double major in psychology and English.
University of California, Santa Cruz
American Literature
Degree: M.A., Ph.D.
Country: United States
Earned M.A. and Ph.D. in American Literature.

Awards

American Book Award
1998
Work: Comfort Woman
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
Elliot Cades Award for Literature
1999
Work: Comfort Woman
Organization: Hawai'i Literary Arts Council
Result: 受賞
Pushcart Prize
1995
Work: Mother-Tongue (short story; later became chapter 2 of Comfort Woman)
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: 受賞
Hawai'i Award for Literature
2003
Organization: Hawai'i Literary Arts Council
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Comfort Woman

1997 Literary / Historical fiction

A novel that explores the comfort women issue and multigenerational trauma, focusing on mother–daughter relationships and questions of identity in the Korean American experience.

comfort womenmultigenerational traumamother–daughter relationshipsidentity

Fox Girl

2002 Literary / Contemporary fiction

A collection that continues Keller's exploration of immigration, cultural hybridity, family history, and the search for healing and identity.

immigrationcultural hybridityfamily historyhealing

Yobo: Korean American Writing in Hawai'i (editor)

2003 Essay / Anthology (editor)

An anthology showcasing Korean American writers in Hawai'i, gathering voices and experiences situated in the local context.

communityidentitylocality

Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry and Prose (co-editor)

1999 Anthology (co-editor)

An anthology collecting poetry and prose by Hapa women in Hawai'i.

hapa identitygendercommunity

Bibliography

  • Comfort Woman
  • Fox Girl
  • Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry and Prose (co-editor)
  • Yobo: Korean American Writing in Hawai'i (editor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical prosemultigenerational narrative structurelayered depictions of memory and trauma
Recurring Motifs
mother–daughter relationshipsmemorysilence and confessionimmigrant experience

Legacy

Keller is acclaimed for addressing the comfort women issue and Korean American identity. Comfort Woman won the American Book Award and other honors, securing her an important position within Hawai'i and Asian American literary contexts.

Academic Societies

  • Hawai'i Literary Arts Council

Quotes

  • In Comfort Woman, Keller "has written a powerful book about mothers and daughters and the passions that bind generations." Kakutani called it "a lyrical and haunting novel" and "an impressive debut."
    Source: Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times (1997) (1997)

Trivia

  • Her daughter Tae Keller won the 2021 Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger.
  • The short story "Mother-Tongue" won a Pushcart Prize in 1995 and later became part of Comfort Woman.