Banana Yoshimoto

Praised for her ”gentleness and spirituality,” Banana Yoshimoto was just named a recipient of the 2011 Capri Awards, presented to “authors serving as models for the younger generation.”

According to this article in the Manichi Daily News, the Italians are recognizing Yoshimoto’s work because it ”always carry a poetic connotation” while it portrays a “serious reflection between life and death.”

(Yoshimoto’s latest novel The Lake (published by Melville House earlier this month) is no exception, as it’s about a young woman who falls in love with a mysterious young man shortly after the death of her mother.)

The committee responsible for choosing the Capri Award recipients said that Yoshimoto’s award was  ”dedicated to Japanese people because of their dignity and generosity facing fate’s adversity” in response to the March 11th tsunami.

In a statement of thanks to the committee, Yoshimoto said, “I hope I can convey the current feelings of Japanese.”

The ceremony for the Capri Award will by held on July 2 in Italy and Yoshimoto will be on hand to accept the prize.