Manga Ooku Wins Tiptree Award 2009

by dtshyk
Mar 18, 2010 5:32 PM | 6 Comments

The James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council announced the winners of the 2009 award. Yoshinaga Fumi's manga Ooku was selected along with Greer Gilman's Cloud and Ashes. The members of the jury were not much familiar with manga and Japanese culture but they were deeply impressed by its unique setting that three quarters of men were killed by an epidemic and the the gender roles of men and women were switched.

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual award given to Sci-fi or fantasy literatures which expand the understanding of gender.

Source: Tiptree Award official website

6 Comments Recent Comments

taraswizard said:

The award is named after and is a memorial to the the author James Tiptree, Jr. (pseudonym for Alice Sheldon) writer of many SFnal short stories between 1967 and 1976. Some of the gender bending titles written by James Tiptree are: "The Women that Men Don't See", "Houston, Houston, do you Read?", "The Girl that was Plugged in", and more.

I have personally read "The Women that Men Don't See". I've had intensive SF literature course back then (more than one course in it)

I think James Tiptree is a actually a female author using a male pen name. Her stories are usually SF but mixed with gender issues and could be considered Women's Literature as well....

Mar 25, 2010 5:03 PM by wakka9ca

This is a awesome thing that Ooku won the Tiptree. Previous winners of the award have included Nicola Griffith, Mary Doria Russell, John Kessell, Kelly Link and more.

The award is named after and is a memorial to the the author James Tiptree, Jr. (pseudonym for Alice Sheldon) writer of many SFnal short stories between 1967 and 1976. Some of the gender bending titles written by James Tiptree are: "The Women that Men Don't See", "Houston, Houston, do you Read?", "The Girl that was Plugged in", and more.

Mar 25, 2010 4:55 PM by taraswizard

epic science fiction is epic.

Mar 19, 2010 4:06 PM by wakka9ca

gonna read it

Mar 19, 2010 6:31 AM by Mr_Gutts

This premise seems REALLY REALLY interesting. Especially how the description sounds like a huge reverse traditional Japanese cultural values.

Mar 19, 2010 1:22 AM by BasakaNZ

Highly deserved.. I love this series.

Mar 18, 2010 6:05 PM by shinkeikaku