An author with a physical disability on Wednesday won Japan’s prestigious Akutagawa literary award for the first time for her work about a disabled woman’s anger and desires.
Saou Ichikawa, who has congenital myopathy, won the Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors for her novel “Hunchback,” a humorous debut that also acts as a commentary on the privileges of non-disabled people.
“I wrote this with the mind that there are not many authors (with severe disabilities) like me,” Ichikawa, who uses a ventilator and electric wheelchair, said in a press conference.
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