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Joy Kogawa,
O.C., O.B.C.
Joy Nozomi Kogawa is a Canadian poet and novelist of Japanese descent.
Born Joy Nozomi Nakayama in Vancouver, British Columbia, she was sent
to internment camps in the Slocan and Coaldale, Alberta during World War
II.
Although the majority of her writing is poetry, her best-known work is
Obasan (1981), a semi-autobiographical novel. A sequel, Itsuka (1992),
was rewritten and retitled Emily Kato (2005).
Obasan was later adapted into a children's book, Naomi's Road (1986),
which, in turn, Vancouver Opera adapted into a 45 minute opera that toured
elementary schools throughout British Columbia.
The opera was also performed before the general public in the Greater
Vancouver area, Red Deer, Alberta and Seattle, Washington.
In 1986, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2006, she
was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia.
Obasan has been named as one of the most important books in Canadian history
by the Literary Review of Canada and was also listed by The Toronto Star
in a "Best of Canada" feature.
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