Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Naoko Awa

Naoko Awa (1943-1993) was born in Tokyo and lived in different parts of Japan. Her earlier literary influences were classic fairy tales such as those of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. She made her literary debut in 1962 and graduated with a degree in Japanese literature in 1965. She published voluminously over three decades.

“The Sky-Colored Rocking Chair” is a touchingly sentimental story of a girl who is born blind and yet, with the help of a supernatural artist, is enabled to see colors. Within the fable, one may discern a tribute to representational art, namely painting and, perhaps in particular, watercolor.

Naoko Awa’s bio sketch can be found here.

Bewildering Stories extends a posthumous welcome to Naoko Awa and our thanks to the translator, Toshiya Kamei.