Uno Chiyo was born in 1897 in Iwakuni, Japan. She began writing in the early 1920s. Initially best known for her scandalous life, she came eventually to be recognized for her mastery of writing. She wrote several notable works, including a memoir that was adapted into a television series, and also became well known as a kimono designer. She died in 1996 aged 98.
Rebecca Copeland is a writer of fiction and literary criticism and a translator of Japanese literature. She earned a PhD in Japanese literature at Columbia University, and she is now a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
