Fumiko Enchi (1905-1986) was born in Tokyo, the daughter of the great Meiji scholar Kazutoshi Ueda. A novelist and playwright, Enchi began her literary career in the theatre. She is the author of many novels and stories, including Masks, The Waiting Years—which was awarded the Noma Prize, Japan’s one of the highest literary awards—as well as a ten-volume translation of The Tale of Genji into modern Japanese. In 1985, she received the Order of Culture.