In A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth worries that Nao and her family might have been victims of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which decimated entire coastal towns and claimed around 10,000 lives. Ozeki teaches creative writing at Smith College. This book is a meditation on the passage of time and of being aware of each moment, which are themes Ozeki also brings up in A Tale for the Time Being. Ozeki published her first work of nonfiction in 2016, called The Face: A Time Code, in which she traces every thought she has for three hours while looking at her face in the mirror. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. A Tale for the Time Being, which was published in 2013, is Ozeki’s most recent work of fiction. Ozeki’s first novel, My Year of Meats, was published in 1998 and was awarded the Kiriyama Prize as well as the Imus American Book Award. She eventually made two of her own films, which were highly acclaimed and shown at several film festivals.

Afterward, she returned to America and began working in TV and films, first as a production set designer and then as a documentary filmmaker for Japanese TV. After graduating from Smith College with degrees in English and Asian studies, Ozeki pursued graduate work at Nara University in Japan. Ruth Ozeki is an author, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. Part III, Chapter 7: Haruki #1’s Secret French Diary.

Part II, Chapter 13: Haruki #1’s Letters.

Ruth author a tale for the time being