[Bungeishunju Ltd.] Ichikawa Sao’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel, “Hunchback,” has been nominated as a finalist in the foreign novel category of the French literary award, the Prix Medicis!
Bungei Shunju Co., Ltd. Press release: October 17, 2025 To Members of the Press Ichikawa Sao’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel, “Hunchback,” has been nominated as a finalist for the foreign novel category of the French literary award, the Prix Medicis! Past recipients include Milan Kundera, Umberto Eco, Paul Auster, and Nobel Prize winner Han Kang. Bungeishunju Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Iikubo Shigeyuki) has announced that “Hunchback” (by Ichikawa Sao, Bunshun Bunko), winner of the 169th Akutagawa Prize, has been selected as one of the seven finalists for the “Foreign Fiction” category of the Prix Medicis, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards. My body has been broken in order to live. “Hunchback,” a powerful portrayal of the body and flow of consciousness as a severely disabled person, will be awarded the 169th Akutagawa Prize in July 2023. Not only is it shocking in its content, but it has also made a significant impact on Japan’s slow-moving barrier-free reading environment, and its impact has spread not only in Japan but also overseas. Translated versions are currently being published in 25 countries and regions around the world, and the English translation has been selected for the longlist (list of works nominated for the award) for the 2025 National Book Award in Translated Literature. The translator of the French version, which was shortlisted for the Medicis Prize this year, is Patrick Honoré. The winner of the award will be announced on November 5th of this year. In Japan, the Bunshun Bunko edition, which includes significantly more furigana, was published on the 7th of this month.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/43732/804/43732-804-b729cb4238335fd592546456d06b2795-912×1336.jpg ■“Hunchback” content introduction Izawa Shakuha’s spine is severely curved, compressing her right lung. From her 10-tatami room in the group home left to her by her parents, Shakuha attends a
correspondence course at a prestigious private university, writes humble kotatsu articles and donates all of her earnings, posts R-18 TL novels on websites, and tweets on her tiny account, “In my next life, I want to be a high-class prostitute.” One day, she discovers that Tanaka, a male helper at the group home, knows about her account… The Bunshun Bunko edition, featuring significantly more furigana, was published on the 7th of this month. To commemorate the paperback release, the first 8,000 characters of “Hunchback” are available for free. https://books.bunshun.jp/articles/-/10319 ■Sao Ichikawa Profile Sao Ichikawa Born in 1979. Graduated from the Department of Human Environmental Sciences, e-School, School of Human Sciences, Waseda University. Has symptomatic scoliosis due to congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder, and uses a ventilator and an electric wheelchair. In 2023, he won the 128th Bungakukai Newcomer Award for “Hunchback” and the 169th Akutagawa Prize for the same work. His latest work, “A Girl’s Spine” (published by Bungeishunju), was published in September 2025.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/43732/804/43732-804-8ef1117f311b92717e8b3fccf14835ab-862×1284.png ■Bibliographic Information Title: “Hunchback” Author: Sao Ichikawa Format: Paperback Paperback version release date: October 7, 2025 Regular price: 660 yen (tax included) ISBN: 978-4-16-792425-6 Bibliography URL: https://books.bunshun.jp/ud/book/num/9784167924256 ■Click here for the bibliographical site for the new book “Girls’ Spine”! https://books.bunshun.jp/ud/book/num/9784163920214
