Saou Ichikawa

A bombshell bestseller in Japan, a provocative, defiant debut novel about a young woman in a care home seeking autonomy and the full possibilities of her life.

Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka spends her days in her room in a care home outside Tokyo, relying on an electric wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to breathe. But if Shaka's physical life is limited, her quick, mischievous mind has no boundaries: She takes e-learning courses on her iPad, publishes explicit fantasies on websites, and anonymously troll-tweets to see if anyone is paying attention (“If I were to live again, I’d want to be a high-class prostitute”). One day, she tweets into the void an offer of an enormous sum of money for a sperm donor. To her surprise, her new nurse accepts the dare, unleashing a series of events that will forever change Shaka's sense of herself as a woman in the world.

Hunchback has shaken Japanese literary culture with its skillful depiction of the physical body and unrepentant humor. Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, it's a feminist story about the dignity of an individual who insists on her right to make choices for herself, no matter the consequences. Formally creative and refreshingly unsentimental, Hunchback depicts the joy, anger, and desires of a woman demanding autonomy in a world that doesn't aways grant it to people like her. Full of wit, bite, and heart, this unforgettable novel reminds us all of the full potential of our lives, no matter the limitations we experience.

Hunchback

Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she posts outrageous stories on an erotica website. One day, a new male carer reveals he has read it all – the sex, the provocation, the dirt. Her response? An indecent proposal…

Written by the first disabled author to win Japan’s most prestigious literary award and acclaimed instantly as one of the most important Japanese novels of the twenty-first century, Hunchback is an extraordinary, thrilling glimpse into the desire and darkness of a woman placed at humanity’s edge.

LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2025 Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she posts outrageous stories on an erotica website. One day, a new male carer reveals he has read it all – the sex, the provocation, the dirt. Her response? An indecent proposal... Written by the first disabled author to win Japan’s most prestigious literary award and acclaimed instantly as one of the most important Japanese novels of the twenty-first century, Hunchback is an extraordinary, thrilling glimpse into the desire and darkness of a woman placed at humanity’s edge. 'A must-read debut. Funny and frank, this book lingers in the mind long after you turn the final page' BBC Books of 2025 Hunchback is one of the boldest and most unusual books to emerge from a mainstream publisher in years. It's a brilliant, riveting book that lets us tune into the voices we have long kept suppressed. Sunday Times ‘Uproariously funny, unflinching, and merciless’ Mariana Enriquez, author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed ‘Filled with unforgettable insight’ Sakaya Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025

Wervel

Shaka Izawa wordt door haar verzorgers gezien als een dankbare, ietwat verlegen patiënt. Ze heeft een aangeboren spierziekte en haar ruggenwervel is ernstig gekromd, waardoor ze in een elektrische rolstoel zit. Haar leven speelt zich af tussen de muren van een zorg- instelling, waar ze via internet een studie volgt. Maar de verzorgers moesten eens weten van haar favoriete bezigheid: het schrijven van erotische verhalen. De verhalen – die Shaka onder een schuilnaam online publiceert – leveren haar veel geld en online aandacht op. Haar neiging tot opruiing wordt steeds groter, zo groot dat ze op een dag tweet: 'Ik wil graag zwanger worden zoals een normale vrouw, zodat ik abortus kan plegen.' Vlak daarna wordt ze met haar geheime praktijken geconfronteerd door de nieuwe, mannelijke verzorger, die haar online persona al een tijdje in de smiezen heeft. Met haar korte, veelgeprezen debuutroman zette Saou Ichikawa de Japanse literatuur in lichterlaaie. Ze schrijft cynisch, komisch en provocatief, bij vlagen immoreel. Wervel is een schurende observatie over een vlucht in het digitale, wanneer er in de echte wereld geen rekening met je wordt gehouden.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE • A bombshell bestseller in Japan, a defiant, darkly funny debut novel about a young woman in a care home seeking autonomy and the full possibilities of her life—“not only a major achievement in disability literature but great literature period” (Johanna Hedva) “A literary phenomenon in Japan, Hunchback is an extraordinary and thrilling debut novel about sex, disability, and power.”—International Booker Prize Judges “Unforgettable . . . a thriller of the body . . . [a] miracle.”—The New York Times Book Review Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka spends her days in her room in a care home outside Tokyo, relying on an electric wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to breathe. But if Shaka’s physical life is limited, her quick, mischievous mind has no boundaries: She takes e-learning courses on her iPad, publishes explicit fantasies on websites, and anonymously troll-tweets to see if anyone is paying attention (“In another life, I’d like to work as a high-class prostitute”). One day, she tweets into the void an offer of an enormous sum of money for a sperm donor. To Shaka’s surprise, her new nurse accepts the dare, unleashing a series of events that will forever change Shaka’s sense of herself as a woman in the world. Hunchback has shaken Japanese literary culture with its skillful depiction of the physical body and its unrepentant humor. Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, it’s a feminist story about the dignity of an individual who insists on her right to make choices for herself, no matter the consequences. Formally creative and refreshingly unsentimental, Hunchback depicts the joy, anger, and desires of a woman demanding autonomy in a world that doesn’t always grant it to people like her. Full of wit, bite, and heart, this unforgettable novel reminds us all of the full potential of our lives, regardless of the limitations we experience.

A Novel

»Auf rund hundert Seiten fesselt Hunchback den Leser mit seiner rohen, brodelnden, subversiven Energie und schüttelt gleichzeitig die körperlichen und geistigen Fesseln ab. Ein Buch, das uns bewegt und begeistert hat.« Jury International Booker Prize »Hunchback« ist intelligent, komisch, feministisch und wurde in Japan zur Bestsellersensation. Geschrieben von der ersten behinderten Autorin, die den renommiertesten japanischen Literaturpreis erhielt, erzählt der Roman eigenwillig, trotzig und mitreißend von den Sehnsüchten und Abgründen einer Frau, die am Rande der Gesellschaft steht und zugleich kompromisslos nach Autonomie und der Möglichkeit sucht, das volle Potenzial ihres Lebens auszukosten. Erbarmungslos und mit dunklem Witz entlarvt Saou Ichikawa in ihrem Debüt den gesellschaftlichen Blick auf Behinderung, Körper und Sexualität. Shaka Izawa wird mit einer angeborenen Muskelerkrankung geboren und verbringt ihre Tage in einem Pflegeheim außerhalb von Tokio. Aufgrund ihrer schweren Wirbelsäulenkrümmung ist sie auf einen elektrischen Rollstuhl und ein Beatmungsgerät angewiesen. Doch auch wenn Shaka körperlich eingeschränkt ist, kennt ihr schneller, scharfsinniger Geist keine Grenzen: Sie studiert online, veröffentlicht pornografische Kurzgeschichten im Internet und twittert provokante Statements wie: »Im nächsten Leben werde ich Edelnutte«. Um alle möglichen Erfahrungen ihres weiblichen Körpers auszuschöpfen, sucht sie eine Samenspende und macht ihrem neuen Pfleger ein unmoralisches Angebot – mit verhängnisvollem Ausgang ...

Saou Ichikawa

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