Aya Kōda
Biography. Kōda was born in Tokyo. At the age of five, she lost her mother, and later her younger sister and brother. She studied at the Tokyo Women's School ("Joshigakuin"). She married at age 24, but divorced after 10 years and returned with her daughter, Tama, to live with her father. During World War II, she helped secure her father's job as described in Tama Aoki's "Koishikawa no Ie" (小石川の家, The house in Koishikawa). Her first works, written when she was 43, were memoirs of life with her father; they include "Chichi" (父, My Father ) and "Konna koto" (こんなこと, Such an affair). Seen as the writings of a dutiful daughter, they achieved critical success. Her subsequent short stories, novels, and essays explored women's lives, family, and traditional culture. They include the 1955 novel "Nagareru" (Flowing), which was made into a popular movie, as well as essays such as "Kakera" (Fragments) and "Mono Iwanu Issho no Tomo" (A Friend for Life), and short stories including "Hina" (Dolls for a Special Day) and "Kunsho" (The Medal). She received the Yomiuri Prize for "Kuroi suso".