# Katie Kitamura

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{{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](/source/National_Book_Festival) 2025
| birth_date       = {{birth year and age|1979}}
| birth_place      = [Sacramento, California](/source/Sacramento%2C_California), U.S.
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| language         = English
| education        = [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University) ([BA](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts))<br>[London Consortium](/source/London_Consortium) ([PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy))
| notableworks     = {{Unbulleted list|''[A Separation](/source/A_Separation_(novel))'' (2017)|''[Intimacies](/source/Intimacies)'' (2021)|''[Audition](/source/Audition_(Kitamura_novel))'' (2025)}}
| awards           = [Guggenheim Fellow](/source/Guggenheim_Fellow) (2025)
| spouse           = [Hari Kunzru](/source/Hari_Kunzru)
| children         = 2
}}
'''Katie Kitamura''' (born 1979) is an American novelist, journalist, and [art critic](/source/art_critic) known for her [minimalist](/source/Minimalism) 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](/source/A_Separation_(novel))'' (2017) and ''[Intimacies](/source/Intimacies)'' (2021). Her fifth novel, ''[Audition](/source/Audition_(Kitamura_novel)),'' was shortlisted for the 2025 [Booker Prize](/source/Booker_Prize) and was a finalist for the 2026 [Pulitzer Prize](/source/Pulitzer_Prize).<ref name="BookerShortlist" /><ref name="2026Pulitzer" />

She teaches [creative writing](/source/creative_writing) at [New York University](/source/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](/source/Sacramento%2C_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](/source/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](/source/Davis%2C_California), where her father was a professor at the [UC Davis](/source/University_of_California%2C_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](/source/C%26W_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](/source/Princeton_University) in [New Jersey](/source/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](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) in [American literature](/source/American_literature) from the [London Consortium](/source/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](/source/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](/source/A_Separation_(novel))'' (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''](/source/A_Separation_(novel)) was originally set to be adapted into a film starring [Katherine Waterston](/source/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](/source/Tessa_Thompson) would instead co-produce and star in the adaptation to be written and directed by [Jonas Carpignano](/source/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](/source/Intimacies),'' follows an interpreter working at the [International Criminal Court](/source/International_Criminal_Court) at [The Hague](/source/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](/source/The_Guardian)'', ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'', ''[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine))'', and [''Frieze''](/source/Frieze_(magazine)).<ref name=CW/> She has written articles on [mixed martial arts](/source/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](/source/film_criticism) and [analysis](/source/Film_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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/New_York_Public_Library)'s [Young Lions Fiction Award](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/2025_Booker_Prize) and was a finalist for the 2025 [National Book Critics Circle Award](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Free_Press_(publisher)) |isbn=978-1439117606 |author-mask=2}}
* {{cite book |title=Gone to the Forest |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |date=2013 |publisher=[Profile Books](/source/Profile_Books) |isbn=978-1847659071 |author-mask=2}}
* {{cite book |title=[A Separation](/source/A_Separation_(novel)) |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |url= |date=2017 |publisher=[Penguin Random House](/source/Penguin_Random_House) |isbn=978-0399576126 |author-mask=2}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |title=[Intimacies](/source/Intimacies) |publisher=[Riverhead Books](/source/Riverhead_Books) |year=2021 |isbn=978-0399576164 |author-mask=2}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kitamura |first=Katie |title=[Audition](/source/Audition_(2025_novel)) |publisher=[Riverhead Books](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Katie Kitamura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Kitamura) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Kitamura?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.