Born on the 24th of July 1964, Mahoko Yoshimoto is the daughter of Takaaki Yoshomoto, a Japanese critic of the 60’s. She grew up in the surroundings of a freethinking family that boasted of other famous personalities like her sister Haruno Yoiko who is a well-known cartoonist of Japan. Mahoko is more famously known by her pen name, Banana Yoshimoto.
Banana Yoshimoto adopted her pen name during her days in the Art College of Nihon University from where she had graduated, majoring in Literature. According to her, she finds the name Banana too cute. Notwithstanding her success, this famous present-day Japanese writer remains a simple person. Her public appearances have been straightforward, with simple dresses and sans make-up.
Banana Yoshimoto is not influenced by bad reviews and despite the same; her novels have always managed to sell astonishingly well. Despite of maintaining a simple public profile this author likes to keep her private life guarded. Hence, not much is known about her husband Rolfer and son Manachinko.
Banana Yoshimoto who spends 30 minutes daily for her writing chores would rather talk about her writing than about her family. She feels blameworthy when she reads the bad reviews her writings earn, because, according to her, she writes the stories just for fun. Though she written in the Japanese script (Kanji), an on-line journal in the English language is maintained for her English-speaking fans.
Influenced by Stephen King, the American author, Banana Yoshimoto started her writing profession in 1987. During that time she was working in the position of a waitress. She was quite impressed by the non-horror stories that were written by her influencer, Stephen. Later on she was also influenced by Isaac Bashevis Singer & Truman capote. Her first novel, Kitchen pushed her into the limelight and she became a success overnight. This novel was reprinted 60 times just in Japan.
Her first novel went on to be used as the story for two movies of which one was produced in Hong Kong. In 1987, Banana Yoshimoto won the Kaien Newcomer Writers award. Two more prizes followed these. Goodbye Tsugumi, which this author also penned also, went on to be produced into a movie. Though her critics think that most of her work is commercial, her fans do not accept that point. According to her fans, Banana has successfully shown through her writings, the true face of the young & frustrated people of contemporary Japan. Yoshimoto takes all these in her stride. Her aim is to win the ultimate. Winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is her ultimate dream.
Banana Yoshimoto
