PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Shirin Nezammafi,
Author of "Shiroi Kami," Winner of 108th Bungakukai Shinjinsho

The speech and Q& A will be in English.

The 108th Bungakukai Shinjinsho, or new author's prize, was awarded in April to a 29-year old Iranian Shirin Nezammafi for her novella "Shiroi Kami." Written in Japanese, it depicts the fleeting romance of a teenage girl living close to the Iran-Iraq border and is set against the backdrop of the war that the two countries fought in 1980s.

The prize, awarded by the Bungei Shunju publishing company, was last given to a foreigner in 2007, when Yang Yi of China was judged best new writer. Nezammafi is the first non-Japanese author who comes from a country that does not use Chinese character to win this prestigious award. Born in Tehran, she learned Japanese after arriving in Japan nine years ago. In 2006, she graduated from Kobe University's Graduate School of Engineering and is currently working as a system engineer at a major Japanese electronics manufacturer.

The prestigious new author's award was established in 1955, and famous recipients include current Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, Saburo Shiroyama and Shuichi Yoshida. Nezammafi was also shortlisted for the more famous Akutagawa Award.

Earlier in 2006, Nezammafi won the Literature Award for Foreign Students (Ryugakusei Bungakusho) for her work "Salam," about Afghan refugees.

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Shirin Nezammafi, Author of "Shiroi Kami"