The Story of a Single Woman
Published on 27. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-80533-231-2 (ISBN)
Description
A piercingly beautiful and candid novel of love, sex and independence in 1920s Japan by a trailblazing Japanese writer.
Growing up in a remote mountain village, Kazue always nurtured a spirit of independence. Ignoring the values of her traditional community, she rejects an early arranged marriage and embarks on a scandalous affair. Exiled from her home, Kazue departs to follow her impulses wherever they might lead.
Driven by her enduring hope and resilience, Kazue goes first to Korea and then to Tokyo, taking up with a series of men but always casting out again on her own path. Sparklingly beautiful, The Story of a Single Woman is an autobiographical account of desire and freedom by a trailblazing Japanese writer.
Growing up in a remote mountain village, Kazue always nurtured a spirit of independence. Ignoring the values of her traditional community, she rejects an early arranged marriage and embarks on a scandalous affair. Exiled from her home, Kazue departs to follow her impulses wherever they might lead.
Driven by her enduring hope and resilience, Kazue goes first to Korea and then to Tokyo, taking up with a series of men but always casting out again on her own path. Sparklingly beautiful, The Story of a Single Woman is an autobiographical account of desire and freedom by a trailblazing Japanese writer.
Reviews / Votes
A remarkable Japanese novelist... She has a hard, unerring eye for the tender detail * Financial Times * I have always admired Uno Chiyo * Shusaku Endo * Uno's crisp, elegant prose captures a woman's inner life with candor and clarity, making this a quietly radical and deeply modern classic * The Arts Desk *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
146 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80533-231-2 (9781805332312)
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Persons
Chiyo Uno (1897-1996) was a celebrated Japanese writer who was best known for turning her eventful life into prize-winning, acclaimed novels. She was raised in Iwakuni, a small castle town on the Inland Sea near Hiroshima. She left home young and worked a variety of jobs, from teaching to waiting tables to founding a fashion magazine. On a whim, she submitted a story to a newspaper writing competition in 1921, and she received the top prize. She began writing novels which drew on her personal experience, scandalising her contemporaries with stories of women who forged their own path and had extra-marital affairs. Uno became a beloved author in Japan, with her memoir eventually being adapted into a popular TV drama.