Hanako muraoka biography of nancy
Hanako Muraoka
Japanese novelist and translator
Hanako Muraoka | |
|---|---|
Muraoka in | |
| Born | Annaka Hana June 21, Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan |
| Died | October 25, () (aged&#;75) Ōta, Tokyo, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation(s) | Novelist, translator |
Hanako Muraoka (村岡 花子, Muraoka Hanako, June 21, – October 25, ) was a Japanese novelist and translator. She is best known for translating Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery into Japanese.
Early life and education
Muraoka was born on June 21, , in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. Her birth name was Hana Annaka (安中 はな, Annaka Hana).[1] Her parents were Methodists, and she was raised a devout Christian. She studied at the Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin and began writing children's stories when she was encouraged by translator Hiroko Katayama.[2] She graduated from school in
Career
After graduation, Muraoka returned to Yamanashi and taught at a branch of the Tokyo Eiwa Jogakuin there. In she published her first book, Rohen (炉辺, "Fireside").[3]
She married Keizo Muraoka in They had a son in In , after Keizo's printing company went bankrupt after the Great Kanto Earthquake, they restarted the company in their home. Soon after that, their son died, leaving Muraoka depressed.[3] Katayama encouraged her to translate Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, and this helped her resume her normal routine.
In , Muraoka started a radio show in which she would read the news to children. The show became very popular, and children all over Japan called her Rajio no Obasan (ラジオのおばさん, "Aunty Radio"). The show ended in the early s as World War II began. Muraoka did not want to read news that referred to Canadians as the enemy because many of her friends were Canadian.[3]
In Muraoka was given a copy of Anne of Green Gables by her friend Loretta Leonard Shaw, a Canadian missionary. Muraoka translated it during the war, bringing the draft with her during air raids. The book was published in and became a bestseller.[4] It was even added to the Japanese school curriculum in the s.[5] Some translators later criticized Muraoka's translation because she had omitted some parts.[6]
Muraoka planned her first trip to Prince Edward Island in She was never able to visit before she died of a stroke on October 25, [7]
A television drama about Muraoka's life, Hanako to Anne, was broadcast on the NHK in It was based on her biography An no Yurikago: Muraoka Hanako no Shōgai (アンのゆりかご―村岡花子の生涯―, "Anne's Cradle: The Life of Hanako Muraoka"), which was written by her granddaughter, Eri Muraoka.[7]
Selected bibliography
Translations
References
- ^. . Retrieved November 18,
- ^"Prominent People of Minato City (Hanako Muraoka )". . Retrieved November 18,
- ^ abcAkamatsu, Yoshiko (). "During and After the World Wars: L. M. Montgomery and the Canadian Missionary Connection in Japan". The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Literature. 18 (2). ISSN&#;
- ^Shannon, Anne (November 1, ). Finding Japan: Early Canadian Encounters with Asia. Heritage House Publishing Co. ISBN&#;.
- ^DeBlois, M. Elizabeth (). "Anne of Green Gables and Japan". The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Literature. 10 (2). ISSN&#;
- ^Ledwell, Jane; Mitchell, Jean (April 1, ). Anne around the World: L.M. Montgomery and Her Classic. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN&#;.
- ^ abDurfee, Peter (June 22, ). "The Best-Loved Canadian Tale in Japan". . Retrieved November 18,
- ^ [Freckles]. NDL Online (in Japanese). National Diet Library. Retrieved March 15,
Further reading
- Muraoka, Eri (). Anne's Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka, Japanese Translator of Anne of Green Gables. Translated by Hirano, Cathy. Halifax: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN&#;.