Ruth Ozeki Explained

Ruth Ozeki
Birth Name:Ruth Diana Lounsbury
Birth Date:March 12, 1956
Birth Place:New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality:American and Canadian
Education:Smith College (BA)
Notable Works:My Year of Meats (1998); All Over Creation (2003); A Tale for the Time Being (2013)

Ruth Ozeki (born March 12, 1956) is an American-Canadian author, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. Her books and films, including the novels My Year of Meats (1998), All Over Creation (2003), A Tale for the Time Being (2013), and The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021), seek to integrate personal narrative and social issues, and deal with themes relating to science, technology, environmental politics, race, religion, war and global popular culture. Her novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. She teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities in the Department of English Language and Literature.[1] [2]

Early life and education

Ozeki was born on March 12, 1956. She grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and is the daughter of the American linguist, anthropologist and Mayanist scholar Floyd Lounsbury and the linguist Masako Yokoyama. In 1980, she graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in English and Asian Studies, and upon graduation, she received a Japanese Ministry of Education Fellowship (Monbukagakusho) to do graduate work at Nara Women's University.[3]

Career

Film and television

In 1985, Ozeki moved to New York City and began working as an art director and production designer[4] for low-budget horror movies, including Mutant Hunt (1987)[5] and Robot Holocaust (1986).[6] In 1988, she began working for Telecom Staff, a Japanese production company, coordinating, producing and directing documentary-style programs for Japanese TV. During this time, she directed episodes of See the World by Train[7] and co-produced the pilot for the TV documentary miniseries Fishing With John (1991),[8] starring musician John Lurie and director Jim Jarmusch. Ozeki's first film, Body of Correspondence (1994), made in collaboration with artist Marina Zurkow, won the New Visions Award at the San Francisco Film Festival[9] and was aired on PBS.[10] Ozeki's second film, Halving the Bones (1995), tells the autobiographical story of her journey as she brings her grandmother's remains home from Japan. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and screened at the Museum of Modern Art, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Margaret Mead Film Festival, among others.[11] [12]

Writing

Ozeki's debut novel My Year of Meats (Viking Penguin, 1998), based on her work in Japanese television, tells the story of two women, living on opposite sides of the world, whose lives are connected by a TV cooking show.[13] My Year of Meats was awarded the 1998 Kiriyama Prize and the 1998 Imus/Barnes & Noble American Book Award.[14] Her second novel, All Over Creation (Viking Penguin, 2003), focuses on a potato-farming family in Idaho and an environmental activist group opposing the use of GMOs.[15] Author Michael Pollan called All Over Creation "a smart compelling novel about a world we don't realize we live in."[16] All Over Creation received the 2003 WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction and the 2004 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

Ozeki's 2013 novel, A Tale for the Time Being (Viking Penguin) tells the story of a mysterious diary written by a troubled schoolgirl in Tokyo that has washed ashore on the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada in the wake of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The diary is discovered by a novelist named Ruth, who becomes obsessed with discovering the girl's fate. Junot Diaz called this novel Ozeki's "absolute best—bewitching, intelligent, hilarious, and heartbreaking, often on the same page."[17] The novel was awarded the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, and named the first recipient of the 2015 Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award (founded by the Leo Tolstoy Museum & Estate and Samsung Electronics) for the Best Foreign Novel of the 21st century.[18] The book has received several other national and international awards, and has been published in more than thirty countries.

In her first work of personal nonfiction, The Face: A Time Code (Restless Books, 2016), Ozeki writes about a three-hour observation experiment, in which she studied her reflection in a mirror and kept a log of thoughts that arose during that time.[19] The Face: A Time Code was published as part of Restless Books' groundbreaking series, The Face, featuring authors Tash Aw and Chris Abani.[20]

In 2021, Ozeki released her fourth novel The Book of Form and Emptiness.[21] [22] About a 14-year-old boy who begins to hear voices emanating from things in the house after the death of his father, the book won the Women's Prize for Fiction in June 2022.[23] [24]

Teaching

From 1982 through 1985, Ozeki taught in the English department at Kyoto Sangyo University and founded an English language school in Kyoto, Japan.[25] Currently, she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities in the Department of English Language and Literature at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.[26]

Zen

Ozeki was ordained as a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in 2010; she practices Zen Buddhism with Zoketsu Norman Fischer. She is the editor of the website Everyday Zen.[27]

Personal life

Ozeki divides her time among Northampton, Massachusetts; New York, New York; and Cortes Island, British Columbia. She is married to the German-Canadian environmental artist Oliver Kellhammer, who teaches on the faculty of Sustainable Systems at Parsons School of Design in New York City.[28] [29]

Her legal name is Ruth Diana Lounsbury. Ozeki is a nom de plume, taken from her former boyfriend's last name, and chosen to better represent her mixed ethnic heritage.[30]

Awards and honors (selected)

Works

Novels

Autobiography

Films

Anthologies (selected)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ruth Ozeki Penguin Random House. www.penguinrandomhouse.com. en-US. March 27, 2017. March 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190326183832/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/244078/ruth-ozeki. live.
  2. News: Where We Are for the Time Being with Ruth Ozeki . David . Palumbo-Liu. Los Angeles Review of Books. September 16, 2014. March 27, 2017. en-US. July 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180727212214/https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/time-ruth-ozeki/. live.
  3. Web site: long bio. Ozekiland. April 2, 2016. April 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190423223550/http://www.ruthozeki.com/about/long-bio/. live.
  4. Web site: Ruth Ozeki Lounsbury. IMDb. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326141235/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0522030/. live.
  5. Web site: Gianasi. Rick. Mutant Hunt. June 1, 1987. Fahey. Reynaldi. Vrenon. Mary. Ron. Taunie. IMDb. March 26, 2017. March 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170325030101/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093586/?ref_=nm_flmg_pdsg_1. live.
  6. Web site: Culf. Norris. Robot Holocaust. January 20, 1987. Hartstein. Ornsteiner. Delora. Nadine. J. Buzz Von. Jennifer. IMDb. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326141249/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093872/?ref_=nm_flmg_art_2. live.
  7. Web site: See The World By Train. TELECOM STAFF. ja. March 26, 2017. March 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170325201549/https://www.telecomstaff.co.jp/en/works/see-the-world-by-train/. live.
  8. Web site: Lurie. John. Fishing with John. January 1, 2000. Tyler. Webb. Nik. Robb. IMDb. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326141251/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139776/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_2. live.
  9. Web site: Body of Correspondence San Francisco Film Festival. history.sffs.org. March 26, 2017. April 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183439/http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=624&searchfield=. live.
  10. Web site: Body of Correspondence ITVS. itvs.org. en. March 26, 2017. February 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208035423/https://itvs.org/films/body-of-correspondence. live.
  11. Web site: WOMEN MAKE MOVIES Halving the Bones. www.wmm.com. March 26, 2017. May 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170524154457/http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c121.shtml. live.
  12. Web site: Sundance Film Festival (1996). IMDb. March 27, 2017. February 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170219195811/http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000631/1996. live.
  13. Book: My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki PenguinRandomHouse.com. en-US. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326225841/http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/330739/my-year-of-meats-by-ruth-ozeki/. live.
  14. News: Talk Radio Personality Imus Behind Richest Book Awards. tribunedigital-chicagotribune. March 26, 2017. en. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326140039/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-02/news/9810030104_1_national-book-awards-seller-list-amelia-earhart. live.
  15. Book: All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki PenguinRandomHouse.com. en-US. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326225933/http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/288092/all-over-creation-by-ruth-ozeki/. live.
  16. Web site: All over Creation. Noble. Barnes &. Barnes & Noble. en. March 26, 2017. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101746/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-over-creation-ruth-ozeki/1100626555. live.
  17. Web site: A Tale for the Time Being. Noble. Barnes &. Barnes & Noble. en. March 26, 2017. March 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170327171536/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-tale-for-the-time-being-ruth-ozeki/1111675016?ean=9780143124870#productInfoTabs. live.
  18. News: Ruth Ozeki Wins 2015 Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award. PublishersWeekly.com. February 7, 2017. en. February 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208035837/http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=494. live.
  19. Web site: The Face: A Time Code. Restless Books. March 17, 2016 . en-US. March 26, 2017. February 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208032815/http://www.restlessbooks.com/bookstore/the-face-ozeki. live.
  20. Web site: The Face. Restless Books. en-US. February 7, 2017. February 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170206094806/http://www.restlessbooks.com/the-face/. live.
  21. Web site: October 6, 2021. The Book of Form & Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki review – a Zen chorus. November 18, 2021. M John. Harrison. The Guardian. en. November 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211118154916/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/06/the-book-of-form-emptiness-by-ruth-ozeki-review-a-zen-chorus. live.
  22. News: Boyagoda. Randy. October 22, 2021. The Book of Form & Emptiness — a story about storytelling. Financial Times. November 18, 2021. November 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211118154916/https://www.ft.com/content/ae83140a-6e2b-412f-a6e6-934ea9ab888f. live.
  23. Web site: Shaffi . Sarah . Ruth Ozeki's 'complete joy' of a novel wins Women's prize for fiction . . 15 June 2022 . 22 August 2022 . July 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713085054/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/15/ruth-ozeki-women-prize-for-fiction-the-book-of-form-and-emptiness . live .
  24. Book: The Book of Form and Emptiness: Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022, book by Ruth Ozeki . . 28 September 2021 . 978-1-922458-90-2 . 22 August 2022 . August 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220815042306/https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/the-book-of-form-and-emptiness . live . Ozeki . Ruth .
  25. Web site: A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki - Author Biography. Lundquist. Molly. www.litlovers.com. en-gb. March 26, 2017. March 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170327080600/http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/9172-tale-for-the-time-being-ozeki?start=1. live.
  26. Web site: Ruth Ozeki Smith College. www.smith.edu. en. March 26, 2017. March 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170326140053/https://www.smith.edu/academics/faculty/ruth-ozeki. live.
  27. News: Everyday Zen. Ozekiland. March 26, 2017. en-US. March 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170327165640/http://www.ruthozeki.com/weblog/archives/299. live.
  28. Web site: Ruth Ozeki. Goodreads. March 27, 2017. March 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170318044238/http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7825.Ruth_Ozeki. live.
  29. Web site: Oliver Kellhammer. www.newschool.edu. March 27, 2017. March 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170328105100/https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/faculty/Oliver-Kellhammer/. live.
  30. News: Alex Laughlin . 2017-05-05 . How Ruth Ozeki renamed herself . The Washington Post . June 18, 2022 . December 26, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171226073808/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/05/how-ruth-ozeki-renamed-herself/ . live .
  31. Web site: June 15, 2022 . Announcing the 2022 winner of the Women's Prize! . June 15, 2022 . June 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220615193049/https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/features/features/news/announcing-the-2022-winner-of-the-womens-prize . live .
  32. News: American writer honored with Yasnaya Polyana literary award. Guzeva. Alexandra. October 29, 2015. Russia Beyond The Headlines. February 2, 2017. en-US. March 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170322150653/http://rbth.com/arts/literature/2015/10/29/american-writer-honored-with-yasnaya-polyana-literary-award_535243. live.
  33. News: Cortez Island author Ruth Ozeki earns IMPAC award nomination. Chamberlain. Adrian. Times Colonist. March 28, 2017. March 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051027/http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/cortez-island-author-ruth-ozeki-earns-impac-award-nomination-1.1619569. live.
  34. Web site: Dos Passos Prize. December 19, 2014. May 11, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150511163357/http://www.longwood.edu/english/7922.htm. live.
  35. Web site: NBCC finalists announced. January 14, 2014. Melville House Books. Kirsten Reach. January 14, 2014. January 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170108161918/http://www.mhpbooks.com/nbcc-finalists-announced/. live.
  36. Web site: Announcing the National Book Critics Awards Finalists for Publishing Year 2013. January 14, 2014. National Book Critics Circle. January 14, 2014. January 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140115014055/http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/announcing-the-national-book-critics-awards-finalists. dead.
  37. Web site: Ruth Ozeki Wins the Medici Book Club Prize for A Tale for the Time Being - News About Penguin Books USA. www.penguin.com. en-US. February 7, 2017. February 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208035709/http://www.penguin.com/newsroom/ruth-ozeki-wins-medici-book-club-prize-tale-time/. live.
  38. News: Novelist and Zen priest Ruth Ozeki wins Canada Japan Literary Award. December 12, 2014. Lion's Roar. March 28, 2017. en-US. March 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051215/https://www.lionsroar.com/novelist-zen-priest-ruth-ozeki-wins-canada-japan-literary-award/. live.
  39. Web site: 2014 Sunburst Winners The Sunburst Award Society. www.sunburstaward.org. February 7, 2017. February 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034815/http://www.sunburstaward.org/node/88. live.
  40. Web site: Eleanor Catton youngest author ever shortlisted for Booker. Linda Morris. The Age. September 11, 2013. 2 April 2016. August 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150825093112/http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/eleanor-catton-youngest-author-ever-shortlisted-for-booker-20130911-2tjjm.html#ixzz2ebVOIkHP. live.
  41. News: Jacket Copy: The winners of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes are ... . . Carolyn Kellogg . April 11, 2014 . April 14, 2014 . April 26, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426041901/http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-winners-los-angeles-times-book-prizes-20140411,0,4418200.story#axzz2ysVJlZcQ . live .
  42. News: Ruth Ozeki beats Thomas Pynchon to top Kitschie award. Flood. Alison. February 13, 2014. The Guardian. February 7, 2017. en-GB. 0261-3077. January 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230120043913/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/13/ruth-ozeki-thomas-pynchon-kitschie-award. live.
  43. Web site: Ruth Ozeki: College & University Programs Author, Speaker PRH Speakers Bureau. www.prhspeakers.com. en-US. March 28, 2017. March 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051205/http://www.prhspeakers.com/speaker/ruth-ozeki. live.
  44. Web site: The Willa Award. Schwartz. Larry. web.mnstate.edu. March 28, 2017. March 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329050322/http://web.mnstate.edu/schwartz/willa.html. live.
  45. Web site: Writers at Newark: Ruth Ozeki, Cynthia Cruz Rutgers University - Newark. www.newark.rutgers.edu. en. March 28, 2017. March 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329050643/https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/events/writers-newark-ruth-ozeki-cynthia-cruz. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ruth Ozeki".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.