Milena Michiko Flašar
An Austrian-Japanese Writer
© Simone Fuchslueger
Milena Michiko Flašar, born in St. Pölten in 1980, is an Austrian author. She is the daughter of a Japanese mother and an Austrian father. She studied German and Romance studies in Vienna and Berlin. She resides in Vienna with her family and has published four books. In February 2018, Flašar published her latest novel Herr Katō spielt Familie. Her first works to be published were the novels Okaasan: Meine unbekannte Mutter in 2010 and [Ich bin] in 2008. Her most famous German novel, Ich nannte ihn Krawatte (2012), was translated into English as I Called Him Necktie. Ōhara Tetsu, a 58-year-old salaryman and recently laid off Japanese company employee, meets the protagonist Taguchi Hiro, a 20-year-old hikikomori. The Japanese term hikikomori refers to people shutting themselves in while reducing social interaction to a minimum. Aside from winning several literature awards, the novel has also been adapted into a theatre and audio book and translated into several languages. The way Milena Michiko Flašar uses and presents Japan in her latest books is an essential part of the introduction to this unique author presented by Simone Fuchslueger.
Text: Simone Fuchslueger
