Books By Ornella Civardi, Gavin Blair - Author

Ornella Civardi has translated and edited the works of celebrated Japanese writers and poets, such as Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, Junzaburo Nishiwaki and Yoko Ogawa. She has a degree in Oriental Languages and Literature from the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, with her thesis focused on Japanese literature. In 2005 she won a prestigious award, the Alcantara Prize, for her translation of Kawabata's Racconti in un palmo di mano (Palm-of-the-Hand Stories).

Gavin Blair has spent nearly two decades as a writer and journalist in Japan. He covers the Japanese entertainment industry for The Christian Science Monitor and The Hollywood Reporter, and reports on Japan for France 24 TV, CBC/Radio-Canada, Al Jazeera, BBC Radio and several other media outlets. He authored Giappone - La vita in zen (Zen in Japanese Culture) (NuiNui)-a visual journey through Zen's influence on all aspects of Japanese life.

Ayano Otani is a Japanese artist and author.