Then Tsugumi invites Maria to spend a last summer by the sea, and a restful idyll becomes a time of dramatic growth, as Tsugumi finds love and Maria learns the true meaning of home and family. When Maria’s father is finally able to bring Maria and her mother to Tokyo, it ushers Maria into a world of university enrollment, impending adulthood, and a ‘normal’ family. She has grown up at the seaside alongside her cousin Tsugumi, a lifelong invalid who is charismatic, spoiled, and occasionally cruel. Maria is the only daughter of an unmarried woman. Now she returns with a magical, offbeat story of a deep and complicated friendship between two young female cousins that ranks among her best work. Banana Yoshimoto’s novels have made her an international sensation, and her most recent, Asleep, was a triumphant performance, delighting her many fans. Each day she takes half an hour to write at her computer, and she says, 'I tend to feel guilty because I write these stories almost for fun.'. She keeps her personal life guarded, and reveals little about her certified Rolfing practitioner, Hiroyoshi Tahata and son (born in 2003). Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dresses simply. During that time, she took the pseudonym 'Banana' after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both 'cute' and 'purposefully androgynous.'ĭespite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure.

She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature.

Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).)Īlong with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dre Banana Yoshimoto ( よしもとばなな or 吉本ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer. During that time, she took the pseudonym 'Banana' after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both 'cute' and 'purposefully androgynous.' Despite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).) Along with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Banana Yoshimoto ( よしもとばなな or 吉本ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer.

Author banana yoshimoto