Photo: Yuji Ono
Harada has published 109 books in Japan. Among these are one book Harada translated, three dialogue books, and an omnibus book. Six have been adapted for film and TV, three are now mangas, and one is a theatrical production. Production is ongoing for screen adaptations of her work in Japan and North America, as well as a stage adaptation in London’s West End.
Canvas of Paradise has been published in France, Taiwan, China, South Korea, and most recently, Turkey. The French edition, published by Editions Picquie as La Toile du Paradis, was awarded the Escapages Prize.
Her short story, “An Unnecessary Man,” was featured online by Granta, a UK-based publisher established in the nineteenth century.
Sweet Home has been published in Italy. Giverny has been published in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, China, and South Korea. The Long Way Home has been published in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, China, and Thailand. Maha’s Wandering Journey, Pray for a Star, The Eternal Consonance, and Today is a Good Day have been published in South Korea. Tossed but never Sunk has been published in Taiwan and China. Van Gogh’s Footprints and Stranger in Kyoto have been published in Taiwan. Independence Day and The Hand’s Heart have been published in China.
Production is ongoing for
international editions of Harada’s work.
Canvas of Paradise (La Toile du Paradis) was awarded the 2012 Yamamoto Shugoro Prize, one of Japan’s most prestigious literature awards. Stranger in Kyoto was awarded the Kyoto Book Award in 2018. Master Leach was awarded the Nitta Jiro Literature Prize in 2017. First Gentleman, which imagines the future experiences of Japan’s first woman prime minister, features commentary from a former First Lady of Japan.
Maha Harada’s stories instill historical truths with more depth and meaning than historical facts can convey alone, creating a new, exquisite reality.
Minato Kawamura/Literature Critic
The Nikkei, 1/18/2020
Under the Sun and Stars is a masterpiece that speaks to the soul, like black and red oil paint splashed onto the heart.
Chizuka Tsuda/Imai Shoten
After reading Revolver, I felt like I was living in Van Gogh’s dazzling and celebratory yellow world.
Kaori Hisada/Seibunkan Shoten
As a writer, Harada’s voice is like a powerful pair of wings, momentarily transporting her readers to a dream.
Kikuko Okada/Children’s Book Author
Monthly MOE, 7/2012