is a Japanese

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

writer. She won the 6th Hayakawa SF Contest in 1980, when she was still a student. Later she published various SF works and became the 10th president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan. Ōhara is the Winner of the Nihon SF Taisho Award in 1994.

Biography

Ōhara was born in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. She wrote Kirk/Spock

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

in her teens. She graduated in psychology from the

University of the Sacred Heart (Japan) The is a Japanese private Women's college, women's university located in Hiroo, Shibuya, Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo. It was established in 1916 as a special school (''senmon gakkō'') by the Society of the Sacred Heart. It became a university in 19 ...

(). Ōhara won the 6th Hayakawa SF Contest for her short story "''Hitori de Aruite itta Neko (A Cat who Walked along Alone)''" in 1980. Next year, in 1981, she graduated from the University and started publishing her stories in the S-F Magazine. She belongs to the 3rd generation of the Japanese SF writers. In 1991, her "''Haiburiddo Chairudo'', Hybrid Child" ( won the

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fic ...

for Japanese novel. Then, in 1995 she won the 15th Nihon SF Taisho Award for "''Sensō-wo Enjita Kamigamitachi'', Gods who Bandied War" (). She was a science fiction reviewer for

Asahi Shimbun is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...

from April 1998 to March 2002, and she was on the jury for the Nihon SF Taisho Awards from 1997 to 1999.(ja
Official Site: Introduction
Retrieved 22 July 2019 She was also the 10th president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan from September 1999 to September 2001. Ōhara is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan, of the Japanese Writers' Association ( JA), and, of the Nihon Pen Club ( JA).

Awards

* 1980: 6th Hayakawa SF Contest Award for ''Hitori de Aruite itta Neko'' * 1991: 22nd

(Japanese long novel) for ''Hybrid Child'' * 1994: 15th Nihon SF Taisho Award for ''Sensō wo Enjita Kamigami-tachi'' * 1998: 19th Seiun Award (Japanese short novel) for ''Independence Day in Ōsaka''

Selected works

Novels

* ''Hitori de Aruite itta Neko'' (), 1982, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Kikaishin Asura'' (), 1983, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Ginga Network de Uta wo Utatta Kujira'' (), 1984, Hayakwa Publishing * ''Miika wa Miika, Trouble Maker'' (), 1985,

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

* ''Miraishi-tachi'' (), 1986, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Ishi no Koku City'' (), 1986,

Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...

* ''Mental Female'' (), 1988, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Hybrid Child'' (, Haiburiddo Chairudo), 1990, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Kyōfu no Katachi'' (), 1993, Asahi Sonorama * ''Sensō wo Enjita Kamigami-tachi'' (), 1994, Aspect * ''Sensō wo Enjita Kamigami-tachi II'' ( II), 1997, Askie Aspect * ''Archaic States'' (), 1997, Hayakawa Publishing * ''Mitsumeru Onna'' (), 1999, Kousaidou

Works in English translation

*"The Mental Female" (''The Review of Contemporary Fiction'', Summer 2002) *"Girl" (''Speculative Japan'', Kurodahan Press, 2007) *"The Whale that Sang on the Milky Way Network" (''Speculative Japan 2'', Kurodahan Press, 2011) * ''Hybrid Child'' (trans. Jodie Beck,

University of Minnesota Press The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018. Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its book ...

, 2018)

Video game works

Mariko Ōhara did the scenario for Quintet's video game '' Illusion of Gaia'', along with Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki.

Notes and references

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

page 641 *

External links

Official Site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Mariko 1959 births Living people Japanese science fiction writers Writers from Osaka Prefecture Japanese women science fiction and fantasy writers University of the Sacred Heart (Japan) alumni