{{Short description|American novelist, art critic (born 1979)}} {{use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox writer | name = Katie Kitamura | image = Katie Kitamura, National Book Festival 2025.jpg | caption = Kitamura at the National Book Festival 2025 | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1979}} | birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | language = English | education = Princeton University (BA)<br>London Consortium (PhD) | notableworks = {{Unbulleted list|''A Separation'' (2017)|''Intimacies'' (2021)|''Audition'' (2025)}} | awards = Guggenheim Fellow (2025) | spouse = Hari Kunzru | children = 2 }} '''Katie Kitamura''' (born 1979) is an American novelist, journalist, and art critic known for her minimalist and psychologically intense prose. Her work frequently explores themes of identity, performance, and the fragility of human connection. Kitamura gained international recognition for her novels ''A Separation'' (2017) and ''Intimacies'' (2021). Her fifth novel, ''Audition,'' was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize.<ref name="BookerShortlist" /><ref name="2026Pulitzer" />
She teaches creative writing at New York University.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faculty |url=https://as.nyu.edu/departments/cwp/graduate/faculty.html |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=NYU Arts & Science |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Katie Kitamura was born in Sacramento, California,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yu|first=Brandon|date=July 12, 2021|title=Katie Kitamura and the Cognitive Dissonance of Being Alive Right Now|language=en-US|page=C1|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/books/katie-kitamura-intimacies.html|access-date=2021-10-25|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> in 1979, to a family of Japanese origin.<ref name=telegraph13>{{cite news|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9792782/Five-young-novelists-for-2013.html|title=Five young novelists for 2013|date=January 11, 2013|first=Philip |last=Womack|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> She was raised in Davis, where her father was a professor at the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.<ref name=CW>{{cite press release |first=Clare |last=Conville |title=Authors: Katie Kitamura |publisher=C&W Agency |url=https://cwagency.co.uk/client/katie-kitamura |access-date=2026-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://readers.penguin.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214880_11_1,00.html |title=Japanese for Travellers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107062418/http://readers.penguin.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214880_11_1,00.html |archive-date=2014-01-07 |url-status=dead |date=2014-01-07|website=Hamish Hamilton|last=Kitamura|first=Katie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Life and Contributions of Ryuichi Kitamura|url=https://its.ucdavis.edu/news-and-events/conferences/the-joy-of-the-journey-celebrating-the-life-and-work-of-ryuichi-kitamura/tributes-biography/|website=UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies|language=en-US|last=Sperling|first=Dan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818024930/https://its.ucdavis.edu/news-and-events/conferences/the-joy-of-the-journey-celebrating-the-life-and-work-of-ryuichi-kitamura/tributes-biography/|archive-date=2019-08-18|last2=Mokhtarian|first2=Patricia|last3=Pendyala|first3=Ram}}</ref> Kitamura trained as a ballerina before pursuing writing.<ref name="dailybeast">{{cite news|newspaper=The Daily Beast|title=How to Fight Like a Girl|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/08/19/how-to-fight-like-a-girl.html|first=Will |last=Doig|date=August 19, 2009|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Katie Kitamura interviews at Simon & Schuster|url=http://authors.simonandschuster.co.uk/Katie-Kitamura/49774003/interviews/126|archive-date=December 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215194010/http://authors.simonandschuster.co.uk/Katie-Kitamura/49774003/interviews/126|url-status=dead|website=Simon & Schuster}}</ref>
Kitamura graduated from Princeton University in New Jersey in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daugherty |first=Elisabeth Hulette |date=2024-10-10 |title=‘Intimacies’ by Katie Kitamura ’99 |url=https://paw.princeton.edu/podcasts/intimacies-katie-kitamura-99 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Princeton Alumni Weekly |language=en}}</ref> She earned a PhD in American literature from the London Consortium.<ref name="spec">{{cite web|publisher=|url=https://spectator.com/article/katie-kitamura-interview/|title=Katie Kitamura interview|first=Samantha Kuok |last=Leese|date=August 10, 2012|website=Spectator}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Katie Kitamura: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 |url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/authors/katie-kitamura |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=The Booker Prizes |language=en}}</ref> Her thesis was titled ''The Aesthetics of Vulgarity and the Modern American Novel'' (2005).<ref>{{cite web|publisher=|title=PhD Titles|url=http://www.londonconsortium.com/about/phd-titles/|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064552/http://www.londonconsortium.com/about/phd-titles/|archivedate=March 4, 2016|website=The London Consortium}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Issa |first=Caroline |title=Performing Uncertainty: Katie Kitamura's Portraits of Modern Womanhood |url=https://www.chanel.com/us/fashion/event/literary-rendez-vous-katie-kitamura/ |website=Chanel}}</ref>
==Career== Kitamura wrote ''Japanese for Travellers: A Journey'', describing her travels across Japan and examining the dichotomies of its society and her own place in it as a Japanese-American.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/channelislands/736187/Japan-through-American-eyes.html|date=August 30, 2006|first=Sophie |last=Campbell|title=Japan through American eyes|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref>
Kitamura was introduced to mixed martial arts in Japan by her brother.<ref name="paw09">{{cite journal|journal=Princeton Alumni Weekly|volume=111|number=|title=In the ring|first=Katherine Federici|last=Greenwood|url=http://paw.princeton.edu/article/ring|date=November 18, 2009|access-date=December 8, 2013|issue=5}}</ref> Her first novel, ''The Longshot'', published in 2009, is about the preparation undertaken by a fighter and his trainer ahead of a championship bout against a famous opponent. The cover art of the US edition of the book features the title tattooed on knuckles; the knuckles are her brother's.<ref name=dailybeast/>
Kitamura's second novel, ''Gone to the Forest'', published in 2013, is set in an unnamed colonial country and describes the life and suffering of a landowning family against a backdrop of civil strife and political change.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/06/gone-forest-katie-kitamura-review |first=Sarah |last=Hall |title=Gone to the Forest by Katie Kitamura – review |date=February 6, 2013 |access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref>
Kitamura gained wider recognition with ''A Separation'' (2017), a novel about a woman who travels to Greece to locate her estranged husband, only to confront truths about their relationship.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eberstadt |first=Fernanda |date=2017-02-15 |title=November’s Book Club Pick: ‘A Separation,’ by Katie Kitamura |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/books/review/separation-katie-kitamura.html |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The book was praised for its taut and propulsive prose.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fournier |first=Michael T. |date=2017-03-13 |title='A Separation' Is a Propulsive, Single-Sitting, Missing-Person Mystery |url=https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/03/13/a-separation-is-a-propulsive-single-sitting-missing-person-mystery/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=Chicago Review of Books |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bargreen |first=Melinda |date=2017-02-09 |title=‘A Separation:’ wheels within wheels in a failing marriage |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/a-separation-wheels-within-wheels-in-a-failing-marriage/ |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref> ''A Separation'' was originally set to be adapted into a film starring Katherine Waterston.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2017/02/katherine-waterston-a-separation-movie-katie-kitamura-book-1201900066/|title=Katherine Waterston To Star In Movie Adaptation Of Upcoming Novel 'A Separation'|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=February 1, 2017|newspaper=Deadline|access-date=February 1, 2017}}</ref> In 2026, it was announced that Tessa Thompson would instead co-produce and star in the adaptation to be written and directed by Jonas Carpignano.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2026-03-09 |title=Tessa Thompson To Star In 'A Separation' From Director Jonas Carpignano |url=https://deadline.com/2026/03/tessa-thompson-to-star-a-separation-jonas-carpignano-1236747847/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
Her 2021 novel, ''Intimacies,'' follows an interpreter working at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. The novel explores language, power, and ethical responsibility, and was widely acclaimed for its examination of institutional and personal ethics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garner |first=Dwight |date=2021-07-14 |title=‘Intimacies,’ a Coolly Written Novel About the Arts of Translation and Power |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/books/review-intimacies-katie-kitamura.html |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Power |first=Chris |date=2021-07-28 |title=Intimacies by Katie Kitamura review – difficulties of interpretation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/28/intimacies-by-katie-kitamura-review-how-it-feels-to-be-utterly-adrift |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It was named one of the best books for the year by several publications.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-29 |title=Intimacies |url=https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120587/intimacies/ |website=TIME}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-11-30 |title=The 10 Best Books of 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/books/review/best-books-2021.html |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-22 |title=The Chronicle's 15 best books of 2021 |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/books/article/the-chronicle-s-15-best-books-of-2021-21183718.php |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Greenblatt |first=Leah |last2=Rankin |first2=Seija |date=2021-12-09 |title=The 10 best books of 2021 |url=https://ew.com/books/best-books-of-2021/ |website=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-25 |title=The Best Books to Read in 2021 |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/best-books-2021 |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>
Kitamura has written for ''The Guardian'', ''The New York Times'', ''Wired'', and ''Frieze''.<ref name=CW/> She has written articles on mixed martial arts,<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/apr/29/features.weekend|first=Katie |last=Kitamura|date=April 29, 2006|access-date=December 8, 2013|title=The harder they come}}</ref> film criticism and analysis,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Asian American Writers' Workshop|url=http://aaww.org/with-grain-a-qa-with-apichatpong-weerasethakul/|title=With Grain: A Q&A with Apichatpong Weerasethakul|first=Katie |last=Kitamura|date=June 15, 2012|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> and art criticism.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Wired|title=Little London Prop Shop Turns Ideas Into Art|first=Katie |last=Kitamura|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/01/ff-artmanufacturing/|date=January 19, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Frieze Magazine|title=Liam Gillick|issue=114|date=1 April 2008|first=Katie|last=Kitamura|url=https://www.frieze.com/article/liam-gillick-0?language=en}}</ref>
She was the 2025-2026 Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow of the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the 2025–2026 Fellows of the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers |url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2025/04/21/meet-2025-2026-fellows-dorothy-and-lewis-b-cullman-center-scholars-and-writers |website=New York Public Library}} Retrieved May 22, 2026.</ref>
==Personal life== Kitamura is married to author Hari Kunzru;<ref name="guernica">{{cite journal|journal=Guernica|title=Bare-Knuckle Writing|first=Jonathan |last=Lee|date=September 3, 2013|url=https://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/bare-knuckle-writing/|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> the couple have two children together.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Barron |title=Novelist Katie Kitamura Turns Romantic Collapse Into a Literary Masterpiece |website=Culture Trip |date=2017-02-24 |url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/katie-kitamura-a-separation-book-review |access-date=2026-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203160450/https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/katie-kitamura-a-separation-book-review |archive-date=2024-12-03 |url-status=live |quote=She lives with her husband, the novelist Hari Kunzru, and their two kids.}}</ref>
==Awards and recognition== In 2010, Kitamura's ''The Longshot'' was shortlisted for the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/2010/03/04/provocateurs-mind-bogglers-and-tragedians-five-young-literary-talents|title=Provocateurs, Mind Bogglers, and Tragedians: Five Young Literary Talents Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library's 2010 Young Lions Fiction Award|publisher=New York Public Library|access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> In 2013, her ''Gone to the Forest'' was also shortlisted for the Young Lions Fiction Award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Young Lions Award List of Winners and Finalists |url=https://www.nypl.org/about/awards/young-lions-fiction-award/winners-finalists |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=New York Public Library}}</ref> In 2021, ''Intimacies'' was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-09-17 |title=The 2021 National Book Awards Longlist: Fiction |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-2021-national-book-awards-longlist-fiction |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> In 2025, Kitamura was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.<ref name="Guggenheim">{{cite web |title=Announcing the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows. |url=https://www.gf.org/stories/announcing-the-2025-guggenheim-fellows#2025-fellows |website= |publisher=Guggenheim Foundation |access-date=27 June 2025|date=April 15, 2025}}</ref>
Her novel ''Audition'' was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and was a finalist for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award.<ref name="2025Booker">{{Cite journal |title=Most global Booker prize longlist in a decade features Kiran Desai and Tash Aw |journal=The Guardian |last=Creamer |first=Ella |date=2025-07-29 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/29/booker-prize-longlist-announced}}</ref><ref name="BookerShortlist">{{Cite web |title=2025 Booker Prize Shortlist |url=https://flyleafbooks.com/booker-2025 |website=flyleafbooks.com}}Retrieved 2026-05-05.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 |url=https://www.bookreporter.com/features/awards/the-national-book-critics-circle-awards-2025 |website=bookreporter.com }}Retrieved 2026-05-05.</ref> It was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alter |first=Alexandra |last2=Khatib |first2=Joumana |last3=Cowles |first3=Gregory |date=May 4, 2026 |title=The Books That Won the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/books/pulitzer-prizes-books-winners-finalists.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 5, 2026 |website=New York Times}}</ref><ref name="2026Pulitzer">{{Cite web |title=2026 Pulitzer Prizes |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2026|website=pulitzer.org }}Retrieved 2026-05-05.</ref>
==Selected bibliography==
===Autobiography ===
* {{cite book |title=Japanese for Travellers: A Journey |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |year=2006 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |isbn=978-0241142899 |author-mask=2}}
===Novels=== * {{cite book |title=The Longshot: A Novel |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |url-access= |date=2009 |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-1439117606 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |title=Gone to the Forest |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |date=2013 |publisher=Profile Books |isbn=978-1847659071 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |title=A Separation |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |date=2017 |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=978-0399576126 |author-mask=2}} *{{Cite book |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |title=Intimacies |publisher=Riverhead Books |year=2021 |isbn=978-0399576164 |author-mask=2}} *{{Cite book |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |title=Audition |publisher=Riverhead Books |year=2025 |isbn=978-0593852323 |author-mask=2}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitamura, Katie}}
Category:1979 births Category:21st-century American novelists Category:21st-century American women novelists Category:American novelists of Asian descent Category:American women journalists of Asian descent Category:American women novelists of Asian descent Category:American writers of Japanese descent Category:Living people Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Writers from Sacramento, California