Kitchen

It is a startlingly original first work by Japans brightest young literary star and is now a cult film. When Kitchen was first published in Japan in 1987 it won two of Japans most prestigious literary prizes, climbed its way to the top of the bestseller lists, then remained there for over a year and sold millions of copies. Kitchen juxtaposes two tales about mothers, transsexuality, bereavement, kitchens, love and tragedy in contemporary Japan. It is a startlingly original first work by Japans brightest young literary star and is now a cult film. When Kitchen was first published in Japan in 1987 it won two of Japans most prestigious literary prizes, climbed its way to the top of the bestseller lists, then remained there for over a year and sold millions of copies. Banana Yoshimoto was hailed as a young writer of great talent and great passion whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of modern literature, and has been described as the voice of young Japan by the Independent on Sunday.