Seiko Tanabe (田辺 聖子, Tanabe Seiko; 27 March 1928 – 6 June 2019) was a Japanese author. She graduated from the Department of Japanese Literature of Shōin Joshi Senmon Gakkō (now Osaka Shoin Women's University). Author of numerous novels, she won the Akutagawa Prize, Yomiuri Prize, and Asahi Prize, and received the Order of Culture for her contributions to literature. She was nicknamed the "L. M. Montgomery of Japan” after her death in 2019.
Biography
Tanabe was born on 27 March 1928. Her father was a photographer and owned a photography studio. She was familiar with Japanese classic literature since her young days. The culture and traditions of her birthplace, Osaka, largely affected her life and writings.
After World War II, she engaged in literary activities while working for a company. Her novel Hanagari (花狩), written during this period, was shortlisted for a literary competition and made into a radio drama. In 1956, she won the Osaka Citizen Award for literature for her story Niji (虹). After that she became a professional writer.
In 1964, she won the 50th Akutagawa Prize for her novel Sentimental Journey (感傷旅行, Kanshō Ryokō). In the following years, she wrote and published a wide range of literary works, such as romantic novels, biographies, essays on various themes, including Japanese classic literature, translations and adaptations of the classic works of Japan, such as the Tale of Genji and Makura no Sōshi.
She married Sumio Kawano (川野純夫), who had been the husband of her literary friend Shōko Kawano (川野彰子). After the death of Shōko, Tanabe married Kawano in 1966, and lived with him until his death in 2002, for 36 years. They lived first in Osaka, but in 1976, they moved to Itami, in Hyōgo Prefecture.
Tanabe received various literary awards. In 2000, she became a Person of Cultural Merit and then, she received the Order of Culture for her literary contributions to Japanese culture in 2008. Her literary works had unique characteristics which reflected the culture of Osaka and its dialect. She created successful love romances using the Osaka dialect, which is one of the Kansai dialects.
1998 26th Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature, for Dōton-bori no ame ni wakarete irai nari - Senryū sakka Kishimoto Suifu to sono jidai ( 道頓堀の雨に別れて以来なり-川柳作家·岸本水府とその時代 )
1999 50th Yomiuri Prize for Dōton-bori no ame ni wakarete irai nari
