Katie Kitamura

“A master of cool disquiet… Kitamura writes with forceful, direct prose that makes for a bracing read and leaves the reader mesmerized.” —Vogue

Katie Kitamura is a novelist, critic, and author of the 2021 National Book Award longlister and instant bestseller, Intimacies. In this electrifying story, an interpreter has come to The Hague to escape New York and work at the International Court where she is drawn into simmering personal dramas and an explosive political controversy. A woman of quiet passion, she confronts power, love, and violence, both in her personal intimacies and in her work at the Court. Hailed as a “gorgeous, destabilizing meditation on the power differentials built into language” by Raven Leilani, Intimacies was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and made countless best book lists, including one of The New York Times’ “10 Best Books of 2021,” and Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year.  In France, it won the Prix Litteraire Lucien Barriere, was a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Heroine, and was longlisted for the Prix Fragonard.

Kitamura’s previous work, A Separation, is a searing, suspenseful story of intimacy and infidelity that propels us into the experience of a woman on edge with exquisitely cool precision. A PBS NewsHour/ New York Times Book Club Pick, Elle described A Separation as “combining Elena Ferrante-style intricacies with the tensions of a top-notch whodunit.” A Separation was a finalist for the Premio von Rezzori and a New York Times Notable Book.

In her fascinating talks on the nuances of language and prose, Kitamura reveals the process behind her bestselling fiction with universities, libraries, book festivals, and more. She delves into her experience growing up in a dual-language household to explore themes of identity, the American immigrant experience, and autobiography and the self.

In addition to Intimacies and A Separation¸ Katie Kitamura is also the author of Gone to The Forest and The Longshot, both finalists for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. Her work has been translated into 21 languages and is being adapted for film and television. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature, as well as fellowships from the Lannan, Santa Maddalena, and Jan Michalski foundations. Kitamura’s writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, Granta, and more. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.