![]() They found it difficult to express themselves, so I thought I could write for them… I think the way society is right now is ephemeral reflections of what humans might be, possibilities, so I try to focus instead on the human soul, rather than how a person appears. Growing up as a young adult, I had many friends who were undifferentiated gender wise, not totally men, not totally women. I’m interested in the ways in which people can express their souls. ![]() ![]() Could you speak about your fascination with gender and why it’s important to your work? In your work, there’s a lot of gender shifting - a man turns into a woman in a subway train, a boy wears his dead girlfriend’s school uniform. She has consistently rejected male and female stereotypes in her work, opting instead for her own whimsical brand of gender-bending ambiguity. Yoshimoto changed her name from Mahoko to Banana because of its androgynous qualities and her love for banana flowers. She has since produced over 20 books for adults and children. ![]() The fictional worlds of Banana Yoshimoto hinge between sleep and waking, fear and dream, loneliness and “the separateness of people.” Her debut novel, Kitchen (1988), sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been made into two feature films. ![]()
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