#SaouIchikawa, who has congenital myopathy, won the Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors for her novel #Hunchback, a humorous debut that also acts as a commentary on the privileges of non-disabled people.
Author Keiichiro Hirano, a judge for the Akugatawa prize, said Ichikawa’s novel garnered overwhelming support for its strength as a novel.
“She critically dismantled social norms and etiquette through the use of the protagonist’s difficulties,” he said.
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“I wrote this with the mind that there are not many authors (with severe disabilities) like me,” Ichikawa, who uses a ventilator and electric wheelchair, said in a press conference. “I would like everyone to think about why it is that a work like this became a first to win the Akutagawa Prize in 2023,” the 43-year-old added.