{"id":756218,"date":"2026-02-11T02:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/756218\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T02:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:18:15","slug":"ginny-tapley-takemori-wins-translation-prize-for-poignant-memoir-of-life-with-a-pet-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/756218\/","title":{"rendered":"Ginny Tapley Takemori Wins Translation Prize for Poignant Memoir of Life with a Pet Cat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBooks<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCulture<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tFeb 11, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tGinny Tapley Takemori has been awarded the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize for her translation of Mornings with My Cat Mii, a memoir by the poet and writer Inaba Mayumi praised for its \u201cmelancholic beauty.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

On February 10, Ginny Tapley Takemori received the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize for her translation of Mornings with My Cat Mii (Mornings Without Mii in some markets), a 1999 memoir by the poet and writer Inaba Mayumi about the 20-year relationship with her cat. The prize is sponsored by the foundation and administered by the Society of Authors.<\/p>\n

One of the judges, Dr. Victoria Young, said: \u201cIn Mornings With My Cat Mii, the surprise lay in how the translation appeared to mirror the melancholic beauty of the original Japanese so effortlessly, presenting in the guise of a personal memoir a poignant reflection upon the nature of relationships, loss, and care amid the changing landscape of Tokyo\u2019s suburbs since the late 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takemori is known particularly for translations of books by Murata Sayaka<\/a>, including the hit bestseller Convenience Store Woman (from Konbini ningen) and Earthlings (from Chiky\u016b seijin). Her translation of Nosaka Akiyuki\u2019s \u201cGrave of the Fireflies\u201d (\u201cHotaru no haka\u201d) was published in 2025.<\/p>\n

Bryan Karetnyk was the runner-up for The Little Sparrow Murders, a classic mystery by Yokomizo Seishi that sees links between a children\u2019s song and a series of murders.<\/p>\n

The prize considered translations from Japanese published in Britain between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, with \u00a33,000 awarded to the winner and \u00a31,000 to the runner-up.<\/p>\n

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize Shortlist (2025)<\/p>\n