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{{short description|American literary critic and writer}}
{{short description|American critic, writer (b. 1955)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{distinguish|Michio Kaku}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Michiko Kakutani
| name = Michiko Kakutani
| image = Michiko Kakutani at Tribeca Disruptive Innovation.jpg
| image = Michiko Kakutani at Tribeca Disruptive Innovation.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption = Michiko Kakutani receiving the 2018 [[Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award]]
| caption = Accepting the 2018 [[Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award]]
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|1|9}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|1|9}}
| birth_place = [[New Haven, Connecticut]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[New Haven, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| residence =
| other_names = Michi
| other_names = Michi
| employer = {{ubl|''[[The Washington Post]]'' ({{circa|1976}}–1977)|''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' (1977–1979)|''[[The New York Times]]'' (1979–2017)}}
| known_for =
| awards = [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism]] (1998)
| education = [[Yale University]]
| education = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| website =
| occupation = Critic, writer
| occupation = {{Hlist|Critic|author|journalist}}
| father = [[Shizuo Kakutani]]
| spouse =
| mother = Keiko Uchida
| children =
| parents = [[Shizuo Kakutani]]
| relatives = [[Yoshiko Uchida]] (aunt)
| relatives =
}}
}}


'''Michiko Kakutani''' (born January 9, 1955) is an American literary critic and former chief book critic for ''[[The New York Times]].'' Her awards include a [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism]].
{{nihongo|'''Michiko Kakutani'''|ミチコ・カクタニ, [[wikt:角谷|角谷]] [[wikt:美智子|美智子]]||born January 9, 1955}} is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for ''[[The New York Times]]'' from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism]] in 1998.


==Early life and family==
==Biography==
⚫
Kakutani, a [[Japanese American]], was born on January 9, 1955, in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. She is the only child of Yale [[mathematician]] [[Shizuo Kakutani]] and Keiko "Kay" Uchida. Her father was born in Japan, and her mother was a second-generation Japanese-American who was raised in [[Berkeley, California]].<ref name=kakutanioped>{{citation |last=Kakutani |first=Michiko |title=I Know What Incarceration Does to Families. It Happened to Mine. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 13, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/opinion/when-america-incarcerated-my-family.html}}</ref><ref name=niiya>{{cite web | last = Niiya | first = Bruce | title=Yoshiko Uchida|url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Yoshiko_Uchida/|publisher=[[Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project|Densho]]| access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> Kakutani's aunt, [[Yoshiko Uchida]], was an author of children's books.<ref name=kakutanioped/> Kakutani received her bachelor's degree in English literature from [[Yale University]] in 1976, where she studied under author and Yale writing professor [[John Hersey]], among others.<ref name= "pulitzer">{{cite web| year = 1998 | publisher = Pulitzer Prizes | title = Criticism — Biography | url = http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/criticism/bio/| access-date = July 9, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704095158/http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/criticism/bio/ |archive-date = July 4, 2007}}.</ref>


===Early life===
==Career==
⚫
Kakutani, a [[Japanese American]], was born on January 9, 1955, in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. She is the only child of Yale [[mathematician]] [[Shizuo Kakutani]] and his wife Keiko ("Kay") Uchida. Her father was born in Japan, her mother was a second-generation Japanese-American who was raised in [[Berkeley, California]].<ref name=kakutanioped>{{citation |last=Kakutani |first=Michiko |title=I Know What Incarceration Does to Families. It Happened to Mine. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 13, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/opinion/when-america-incarcerated-my-family.html}}</ref><ref name=niiya>{{cite web | last = Niiya | first = Bruce | title=Yoshiko Uchida|url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Yoshiko_Uchida/|publisher=[[Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project|Densho]]| access-date=2018-07-14}}</ref> Michiko received her [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in English literature from [[Yale University]] in 1976, where she studied under author and Yale writing professor [[John Hersey]], among others.<ref name= "pulitzer">{{cite web| year = 1998 | publisher = Pulitzer Prizes | title = Criticism — Biography | url = http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/criticism/bio/| access-date = 2007-07-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704095158/http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/criticism/bio/ |archive-date = 2007-07-04}}.</ref>

===Career===
Kakutani initially worked as a reporter for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and then from 1977 to 1979 for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, where Hersey had worked. In 1979, she joined ''[[The New York Times]]'' as a reporter.<ref name="pulitzer" />
Kakutani initially worked as a reporter for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and then from 1977 to 1979 for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, where Hersey had worked. In 1979, she joined ''[[The New York Times]]'' as a reporter.<ref name="pulitzer" />


===Literary critic===
⚫
Kakutani was a literary critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 until her retirement in 2017.<ref name = "pulitzer" /> Her occasionally harsh reviews of prominent authors have garnered attention and sometimes criticism. For example, in 2006, Kakutani called [[Jonathan Franzen]]'s ''[[The Discomfort Zone]]'' "an odious self-portrait of the artist as a young jackass." Franzen subsequently called Kakutani "the stupidest person in New York City".<ref name="guardian booksblog">{{cite news|last1=Cochrane|first1=Kira|title=Don't mess with Michiko Kakutani|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/may/01/dontmesswithmichikokakutan|access-date=21 March 2018|work=the Guardian|date=30 April 2008|language=en}}</ref><ref name=vanity>{{cite news|last1=Pompeo|first1=Joe|title=Michiko Kakutani, the Legendary Book Critic and the Most Feared Woman in Publishing, Is Stepping Down from The New York Times|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/michiko-kakutani-leaving-the-new-york-times|access-date=21 March 2018|work=The Hive|date=2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2012, Kakutani wrote a negative review of [[Nassim Nicholas Taleb]]'s ''[[Antifragile]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title='Antifragile,' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/books/antifragile-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb.html|access-date=21 March 2018|work=The New York Times|date=16 December 2012}}</ref> In 2018, Taleb stated in his book [[Skin in the Game (book)|''Skin in the Game'']] that "someone has to have read the book to notice that a reviewer is full of baloney, so in the absence of skin in the game, reviewers such as Michiko Kakutani" can "go on forever without anyone knowing" that they are fabricating and drunk.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Taleb|first1=Nassim Nicholas|title=Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life|date=2018|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=9780425284636|page=44|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4dQ0DwAAQBAJ|language=en}}</ref> According to [[Kira Cochrane]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'', such counterattacks may have bolstered Kakutani's reputation as commendably "fearless."<ref name="guardian booksblog"/>
Kakutani was a literary critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 until her retirement in 2017.<ref name = "pulitzer" /> She gained particular notoriety for her sometimes-biting reviews of books from famous authors, with ''[[Slate (website)|Slate]]'' remarking that "her name became a verb, and publishers have referred to her negative reviews as 'getting Kakutani'ed'".<ref>{{cite news|url = https://slate.com/culture/2017/07/how-franzen-mailer-and-other-authors-responded-to-michiko-kakutani-s-reviews.html|title = "The Stupidest Person in New York City": How Authors Responded to Michiko Kakutani's Harshest Reviews|work = [[Slate (website)|Slate]]|date = July 27, 2017|accessdate = July 15, 2022|last = Martinelli|first = Marissa}}</ref>


⚫
Many authors who received such reviews gave harsh public responses: in 2006, Kakutani called [[Jonathan Franzen]]'s ''[[The Discomfort Zone]]'' "an odious self-portrait of the artist as a young jackass." Franzen subsequently called Kakutani "the stupidest person in New York City".<ref name="guardian booksblog">{{cite news|last1=Cochrane|first1=Kira|title=Don't mess with Michiko Kakutani|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/may/01/dontmesswithmichikokakutan|access-date=March 21, 2018|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=April 30, 2008|language=en}}</ref><ref name=vanity>{{cite news|last1=Pompeo|first1=Joe|title=Michiko Kakutani, the Legendary Book Critic and the Most Feared Woman in Publishing, Is Stepping Down from The New York Times|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/michiko-kakutani-leaving-the-new-york-times|access-date=March 21, 2018|work=The Hive|date=2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2012, Kakutani wrote a negative review of [[Nassim Nicholas Taleb]]'s ''[[Antifragile (book)|Antifragile]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title='Antifragile,' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/books/antifragile-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb.html|access-date=March 21, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 16, 2012}}</ref> In 2018, Taleb stated in his book [[Skin in the Game (book)|''Skin in the Game'']] that "someone has to have read the book to notice that a reviewer is full of baloney, so in the absence of skin in the game, reviewers such as Michiko Kakutani" can "go on forever without anyone knowing" that they are fabricating and drunk.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Taleb|first1=Nassim Nicholas|title=Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life|date=2018|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=9780425284636|page=44|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4dQ0DwAAQBAJ|language=en}}</ref> According to [[Kira Cochrane]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'', such counterattacks may have bolstered Kakutani's reputation as commendably "fearless."<ref name="guardian booksblog"/>
⚫
She has been known to write reviews in the voice of movie or book characters, including [[Brian Griffin]],<ref>{{cite news| last =Kakutani| first =Michiko | title =Marilyn, Dostoyevsky and Me, Her Pup| work = The New York Times | date =2010-12-06| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/books/review/07book.html?ref=books | access-date = 2010-12-06}}</ref> [[Austin Powers (character)|Austin Powers]],<ref>{{cite news| last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Hipoisie and Chic-oisie And London Had the Mojo | work = The New York Times | date = 2002-07-23| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400EED71738F930A15754C0A9649C8B63| access-date = 2007-07-09}}</ref> [[Holden Caulfield]],<ref>{{cite news | last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Who's Afraid of Holden Caulfield?| work = The New York Times | date =2005-08-23| url =https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/books/23kaku.html | access-date = 2007-07-09}}</ref> Elle Woods of ''[[Legally Blonde]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title =Digging For Gold In Stilettos And Silk| work = The New York Times | date =2005-06-19| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/books/books-of-the-times-digging-for-gold-in-stilettos-and-silk.html | access-date = 2019-09-16}}</ref> and [[Truman Capote]]'s character Holly Golightly in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''.<ref>{{cite news| last =Kakutani| first =Michiko| title =Tru, Dear, There's Only One Holly. Moi.| work = The New York Times | date = 2005-10-24 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/books/24kaku.html?ex=1137560400&en=ee6c75c24446abc9&ei=5070| access-date = 2007-07-09}}</ref>


⚫
She has been known to write reviews in the voice of movie or book characters, including [[Brian Griffin]],<ref>{{cite news| last =Kakutani| first =Michiko | title =Marilyn, Dostoyevsky and Me, Her Pup| work = The New York Times | date =December 6, 2010| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/books/review/07book.html | access-date = December 6, 2010}}</ref> [[Austin Powers (character)|Austin Powers]],<ref>{{cite news| last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Hipoisie and Chic-oisie And London Had the Mojo | work = The New York Times | date = July 23, 2002| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400EED71738F930A15754C0A9649C8B63| access-date = July 9, 2007}}</ref> [[Holden Caulfield]],<ref>{{cite news | last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Who's Afraid of Holden Caulfield?| work = The New York Times | date =August 23, 2005| url =https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/books/23kaku.html | access-date = July 9, 2007}}</ref> Elle Woods of ''[[Legally Blonde]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title =Digging For Gold In Stilettos And Silk| work = The New York Times | date =June 19, 2005| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/books/books-of-the-times-digging-for-gold-in-stilettos-and-silk.html | access-date = September 16, 2019}}</ref> and [[Truman Capote]]'s character Holly Golightly in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''.<ref>{{cite news| last =Kakutani| first =Michiko| title =Tru, Dear, There's Only One Holly. Moi.| work = The New York Times | date = October 24, 2005 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/books/24kaku.html| access-date = July 9, 2007}}</ref>
On July 19, 2007, ''The New York Times'' published a pre-release story written by Kakutani about ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''. An account of the ensuing controversy, including the critical comments of some Harry Potter fans, can be found on the newspaper's Public Editor's blog.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/did-the-times-betray-harry-potter-fans/ | work=The New York Times | title=Did The Times Betray Harry Potter Fans? | first=Clark | last=Hoyt | date = 2007-07-19 | access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>


⚫
Kakutani announced that she was stepping down as chief book critic of the ''Times'' on July 27, 2017.<ref name=vanity/><ref>[http://www.nytco.com/michiko-kakutani-is-retiring/ "Michiko Kakutani Is Retiring"], Press Run, ''NYT'', July 27, 2017.</ref> In an article summarizing her book reviewing career, a writer in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' called her "the most powerful book critic in the English-speaking world" and credited her with boosting the careers of [[George Saunders]], [[Mary Karr]], [[David Foster Wallace]], [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Ian McEwan]], [[Martin Amis]], and [[Zadie Smith]].<ref name=vanity/>
Kakutani was parodied in the essay "I Am Michiko Kakutani" by one of her former Yale classmates, [[Colin McEnroe]].<ref>{{cite web| last =McEnroe| first =Colin| title =I Am Michiko Kakutani| work = McSweeney's | date =January 1999| url = http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-am-michiko-kakutani | access-date = 2016-03-05}}</ref>


===Later work===
⚫
Kakutani announced that she was stepping down as chief book critic of the ''Times'' on July 27, 2017.<ref name=vanity/><ref>[http://www.nytco.com/michiko-kakutani-is-retiring/ "Michiko Kakutani Is Retiring"], Press Run, ''NYT'', July 27, 2017.</ref> In an article summing her book reviewing career, a writer in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' called her "the most powerful book critic in the English-speaking world" and credited her with boosting the careers of [[George Saunders]], [[Mary Karr]], [[David Foster Wallace]], [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Ian McEwan]], [[Martin Amis]], and [[Zadie Smith]].<ref name=vanity/>
⚫
In 2018, Kakutani published a book criticizing the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] titled ''The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump''.<ref>{{cite news| last =Zack| first =Jessica| title =Book critic Michiko Kakutani takes on Trump in 'The Death of Truth'| work = San Francisco Chronicle | date =July 17, 2018| url =https://www.sfchronicle.com/books/article/Book-critic-Michiko-Kakutani-takes-on-Trump-in-13080326.php | access-date = July 19, 2018}}</ref> In it, Kakutani draws parallels between [[postmodern philosophy]] and the number of [[False or misleading statements by Donald Trump|false or misleading statements made by Trump]]. In an interview for the book, she argued:<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.vox.com/2018/7/25/17612566/trump-michiko-kakutani-new-york-times-book-critic|title = Michiko Kakutani, esteemed book critic, has finally written a book. It's about Trump.|work = [[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date = July 25, 2018|accessdate = July 15, 2022|last = Been|first = Eric Allen}}</ref>


{{blockquote|With its suspicion of grand, overarching narratives, postmodernism emphasized the role that perspective plays in shaping our readings of texts and events [...] and it opened the once-narrow gates of history to heretofore marginalized points of view. But as such, ideas seeped into popular culture and merged with the narcissism of the '[[Me Decade]]' [and] also led to a more reductive form of [[relativism]] that allowed people to insist that their opinions were just as valid as objective truths verified by scientific evidence or serious investigative reporting".}}
⚫
In July 2018, Kakutani published a book criticizing the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] titled ''The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump''.<ref>{{cite web| last =Zack| first =Jessica| title =Book critic Michiko Kakutani takes on Trump in 'The Death of Truth'| work = San Francisco Chronicle | date =July 17, 2018| url =https://www.sfchronicle.com/books/article/Book-critic-Michiko-Kakutani-takes-on-Trump-in-13080326.php | access-date = July 19, 2018}}</ref>


Kakutani's second book, ''Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Re-Read'', an essay collection about books that she considers personally and culturally influential, was published in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/ex-libris-100-books-to-read-and-reread/about|title = Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread|website = Book Reporter|accessdate = July 14, 2022}}</ref>
⚫
Kakutani is a fan of the [[New York Yankees]].<ref name="In a Fan's Eyes">{{cite web|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title=In a Fan's Eyes, the World Turns Upside Down|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/sports/baseball/in-a-fans-eyes-the-world-turns-upside-down.html|website=New York Times|access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="Insider’s View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx">{{cite web|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title=Insider's View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/sports/baseball/26review.html|website=New York Times|access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref> Her aunt, [[Yoshiko Uchida]], was an author of children's books.<ref name=kakutanioped/>

In 2024, Kakutani published her third book, ''The Great Wave: The Era of Radical Disruption and the Rise of the Outsider''.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/574592/the-great-wave-by-michiko-kakutani/|title = The Great Wave|website = [[Penguin Random House]]|accessdate = February 20, 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
⚫
Kakutani is a fan of the [[New York Yankees]].<ref name="In a Fan's Eyes">{{cite news|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title=In a Fan's Eyes, the World Turns Upside Down|work=The New York Times |date=October 22, 2004 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/sports/baseball/in-a-fans-eyes-the-world-turns-upside-down.html|access-date=November 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Insider's View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx">{{cite news|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title=Insider's View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx|work=The New York Times |date=January 26, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/sports/baseball/26review.html|access-date=November 19, 2016}}</ref> {{As of|2018}}, she lives on the [[Upper West Side]] of Manhattan.<ref name = McCreesh>{{cite news|url = https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/michiko-kakutani-on-the-death-of-truth.html|title = 230 Minutes With Michiko Kakutani|last = McCreesh|first = Shawn|date = July 23, 2018|magazine = [[New York (magazine)|Vulture]]|accessdate = July 15, 2022|url-access = limited}}</ref>

During her career at ''The New York Times'', Kakutani developed a reputation as an extremely private person who was seldom seen in public, with articles describing her as "mysterious" and "reclusive".<ref name = Dowd>{{cite web |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |title=Bowen Yang of 'S.N.L.' Is a Smash. And a Mensch. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/25/style/bowen-yang-snl.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=August 28, 2021 |date=January 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/may/11/martin-amis-review-michiko-kakutani|title = 'This remarkably tedious novel': Michiko Kakutani skewers Martin Amis|last = Pilkington|first = Ed|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = May 11, 2010|accessdate = July 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/michiko-kakutani-you-know-when-you-ve-been-kakutanied-296386.html|title = Michiko Kakutani: You know when you've been Kakutanied|newspaper = [[The Independent]]|date = July 3, 2005|accessdate = July 15, 2022|last = Paulson|first = Steve}}</ref> Shawn McCreesh, writing in [[New York (magazine)|''New York'' magazine]], said that "you were likelier to have seen a snow leopard in Manhattan than to meet Kakutani in the wild".<ref name = McCreesh /> However, upon the publication of ''The Death of Truth'', Kakutani began giving interviews to print outlets, though she declined to appear on television.<ref name = McCreesh/>


==Media references==
==Media references==
* A fictionalized account of Kakutani's life entitled "Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World!" was published in the online and print magazine ''Essays & Fictions''.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://essaysandfictions.com/vol_8and9/content_vol8.html | title = Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World! | first = Joseph | last = Michaels | journal = Essays and Fictions | volume = 8}}.</ref>
* A fictionalized account of Kakutani's life entitled "Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World!" was published in the online and print magazine ''Essays & Fictions''.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://essaysandfictions.com/vol_8and9/content_vol8.html | title = Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World! | first = Joseph | last = Michaels | journal = Essays and Fictions | volume = 8}}.</ref>
* She is referenced in an episode of the HBO series ''[[Sex and the City]]''. In "Critical Condition" (season 5, episode 6), [[Carrie Bradshaw]] releases a book that Kakutani reviews. Various characters deem the critic's name "too hard to pronounce," including [[Miranda Hobbes]], who memorably states, "Just don't say her name again — it will drive me over the edge."<ref>{{cite web| last =Waters| first =Juliet| title =Candace Bushnell moves from chick lit to fem lit with ''Lipstick Jungle''| work =Montreal Mirror| date =2005-10-13| url =http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/101305/books.html| access-date =2007-07-09| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060512163958/http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/101305/books.html| archive-date =2006-05-12}}</ref>
* She is referenced in an episode of the HBO series ''[[Sex and the City]]''. In "Critical Condition" (season 5, episode 6), [[Carrie Bradshaw]] releases a book that Kakutani reviews. As Carrie obsesses over the review, Miranda Hobbes memorably states, "Just don't say her name again — it'll push me over the edge."<ref>{{cite web| last =Waters| first =Juliet| title =Candace Bushnell moves from chick lit to fem lit with ''Lipstick Jungle''| work =Montreal Mirror| date =October 13, 2005| url =http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/101305/books.html| access-date =July 9, 2007| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060512163958/http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/101305/books.html| archive-date =May 12, 2006}}</ref>
* She was recently referenced in an episode of [[Luca Guadagnino|Luca Guadagnino's]] limited HBO series ''[[We Are Who We Are (miniseries)|We Are Who We Are]]''. During the episode "Right Here, Right Now V", Fraser looks up Kakutani's review of ''[[The Kindly Ones (Littell novel)|The Kindly Ones]]''<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/books/24kaku.html?ref=books|title=''Unrepentant and Telling of Horrors Untellable'' |last=Kakutani|first=Michiko|author-link=Michiko Kakutani|date=February 23, 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=2009-04-09}}</ref> after the book is recommended by his crush Jonathan.
* She was referenced in an episode of [[Luca Guadagnino]]'s limited HBO series ''[[We Are Who We Are]]''. During the episode "Right Here, Right Now V", Fraser looks up Kakutani's review of ''[[The Kindly Ones (Littell novel)|The Kindly Ones]]''<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/books/24kaku.html|title=''Unrepentant and Telling of Horrors Untellable'' |last=Kakutani|first=Michiko|author-link=Michiko Kakutani|date=February 23, 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> after the book is recommended by his crush Jonathan.
* Comedian and ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' cast member [[Bowen Yang]] performed an impression of Kakutani during his audition for the show, later joking that she was perfect for an impression since many are unaware of what she looks or sounds like.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |title=Bowen Yang of ‘S.N.L.’ Is a Smash. And a Mensch. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/25/style/bowen-yang-snl.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=28 August 2021 |date=25 January 2020}}</ref>
* Comedian and ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' cast member [[Bowen Yang]] performed an impression of Kakutani during his audition for the show, later joking that she was perfect for an impression since many are unaware of what she looks or sounds like.<ref name = Dowd/>


==Works==
==Publications==
*{{cite book|title = The Poet at the Piano: Portraits of Writers, Filmmakers, Playwrights, and Other Artists at Work|publisher = [[Times Books]]|year = 1988|isbn = 978-0812912777}}
*''The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump'' (2018) {{ISBN|978-0525574828}}
*{{cite book|title = The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump|publisher = [[Crown Publishing Group]]|year = 2018|isbn = 978-0525574828}}
*''Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Re-read'' (2020)
*{{cite book|title = Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Re-Read|publisher = Crown Publishing Group|year = 2020|isbn = 9780525574972}}
*{{cite book|title = The Great Wave: The Era of Radical Disruption and the Rise of the Outsider|publisher = Crown Publishing Group|year = 2024|isbn = 9780525574996}}


==Awards==
==Awards==
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{{Portal|Japan|Biography|Literature}}
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* {{Twitter}}
* {{Citation | url = http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/michiko_kakutani/ | format = archive | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = The New York Times}}.
* {{Citation | url = http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/michiko_kakutani/ | format = archive | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = The New York Times}}.
* {{Citation | title = Criticism | url = http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/1998-Criticism | publisher = Pulitzer Prize | format = biography | year = 1998}}.
* {{Citation | title = Criticism | url = http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/1998-Criticism | publisher = Pulitzer Prize | format = biography | year = 1998}}.
* {{Citation | url = http://www.slate.com/id/2139452/ | title = Assessing Michiko Kakutani | first = Ben | last = Yagoda | journal = Slate | date = April 10, 2006}}.
* {{Citation | url = http://www.slate.com/id/2139452/ | title = Assessing Michiko Kakutani | first = Ben | last = Yagoda | journal = Slate | date = April 10, 2006}}.
* {{Citation | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/books/19read.html?hp | title = From Books, President-elect Barack Obama Found His Voice | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | newspaper = The New York Times | date = January 18, 2009}}.
* {{Citation | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/books/19read.html | title = From Books, President-elect Barack Obama Found His Voice | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | newspaper = The New York Times | date = January 18, 2009}}.
* {{citation |last=Tamaki |first=Jillian |title=Interview: Michiko Kakutani By the Book. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 12, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/books/review/michiko-kakutani-by-the-book.html}}.
* {{citation |last=Tamaki |first=Jillian |title=Interview: Michiko Kakutani By the Book. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 12, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/books/review/michiko-kakutani-by-the-book.html}}.


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[[Category:The New York Times journalists]]
[[Category:American critics of postmodernism]]
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[[Category:People from the Upper West Side]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners]]
[[Category:The New York Times Pulitzer Prize winners]]
[[Category:The New York Times Pulitzer Prize winners]]
[[Category:The Washington Post journalists]]
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[[Category:Time (magazine) people]]
[[Category:Time (magazine) people]]
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[[Category:Writers from New Haven, Connecticut]]
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Latest revision as of 19:55, 6 November 2024

Michiko Kakutani
Accepting the 2018 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award
Born (1955-01-09) January 9, 1955 (age 69)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Other namesMichi
EducationYale University (BA)
Occupations
  • Critic
  • author
  • journalist
Employers
Parents
RelativesYoshiko Uchida (aunt)
AwardsPulitzer Prize for Criticism (1998)

Michiko Kakutani (ミチコ・カクタニ, 角谷 美智子, born January 9, 1955) is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for The New York Times from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998.

Early life and family

[edit]

Kakutani, a Japanese American, was born on January 9, 1955, in New Haven, Connecticut. She is the only child of Yale mathematician Shizuo Kakutani and Keiko "Kay" Uchida. Her father was born in Japan, and her mother was a second-generation Japanese-American who was raised in Berkeley, California.[1][2] Kakutani's aunt, Yoshiko Uchida, was an author of children's books.[1] Kakutani received her bachelor's degree in English literature from Yale University in 1976, where she studied under author and Yale writing professor John Hersey, among others.[3]

Career

[edit]

Kakutani initially worked as a reporter for The Washington Post, and then from 1977 to 1979 for Time magazine, where Hersey had worked. In 1979, she joined The New York Times as a reporter.[3]

Literary critic

[edit]

Kakutani was a literary critic for The New York Times from 1983 until her retirement in 2017.[3] She gained particular notoriety for her sometimes-biting reviews of books from famous authors, with Slate remarking that "her name became a verb, and publishers have referred to her negative reviews as 'getting Kakutani'ed'".[4]

Many authors who received such reviews gave harsh public responses: in 2006, Kakutani called Jonathan Franzen's The Discomfort Zone "an odious self-portrait of the artist as a young jackass." Franzen subsequently called Kakutani "the stupidest person in New York City".[5][6] In 2012, Kakutani wrote a negative review of Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Antifragile.[7] In 2018, Taleb stated in his book Skin in the Game that "someone has to have read the book to notice that a reviewer is full of baloney, so in the absence of skin in the game, reviewers such as Michiko Kakutani" can "go on forever without anyone knowing" that they are fabricating and drunk.[8] According to Kira Cochrane in The Guardian, such counterattacks may have bolstered Kakutani's reputation as commendably "fearless."[5]

She has been known to write reviews in the voice of movie or book characters, including Brian Griffin,[9] Austin Powers,[10] Holden Caulfield,[11] Elle Woods of Legally Blonde,[12] and Truman Capote's character Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's.[13]

Kakutani announced that she was stepping down as chief book critic of the Times on July 27, 2017.[6][14] In an article summarizing her book reviewing career, a writer in Vanity Fair called her "the most powerful book critic in the English-speaking world" and credited her with boosting the careers of George Saunders, Mary Karr, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, and Zadie Smith.[6]

Later work

[edit]

In 2018, Kakutani published a book criticizing the Trump administration titled The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump.[15] In it, Kakutani draws parallels between postmodern philosophy and the number of false or misleading statements made by Trump. In an interview for the book, she argued:[16]

With its suspicion of grand, overarching narratives, postmodernism emphasized the role that perspective plays in shaping our readings of texts and events [...] and it opened the once-narrow gates of history to heretofore marginalized points of view. But as such, ideas seeped into popular culture and merged with the narcissism of the 'Me Decade' [and] also led to a more reductive form of relativism that allowed people to insist that their opinions were just as valid as objective truths verified by scientific evidence or serious investigative reporting".

Kakutani's second book, Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Re-Read, an essay collection about books that she considers personally and culturally influential, was published in 2020.[17]

In 2024, Kakutani published her third book, The Great Wave: The Era of Radical Disruption and the Rise of the Outsider.[18]

Personal life

[edit]

Kakutani is a fan of the New York Yankees.[19][20] As of 2018, she lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[21]

During her career at The New York Times, Kakutani developed a reputation as an extremely private person who was seldom seen in public, with articles describing her as "mysterious" and "reclusive".[22][23][24] Shawn McCreesh, writing in New York magazine, said that "you were likelier to have seen a snow leopard in Manhattan than to meet Kakutani in the wild".[21] However, upon the publication of The Death of Truth, Kakutani began giving interviews to print outlets, though she declined to appear on television.[21]

Media references

[edit]
  • A fictionalized account of Kakutani's life entitled "Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World!" was published in the online and print magazine Essays & Fictions.[25]
  • She is referenced in an episode of the HBO series Sex and the City. In "Critical Condition" (season 5, episode 6), Carrie Bradshaw releases a book that Kakutani reviews. As Carrie obsesses over the review, Miranda Hobbes memorably states, "Just don't say her name again — it'll push me over the edge."[26]
  • She was referenced in an episode of Luca Guadagnino's limited HBO series We Are Who We Are. During the episode "Right Here, Right Now V", Fraser looks up Kakutani's review of The Kindly Ones[27] after the book is recommended by his crush Jonathan.
  • Comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang performed an impression of Kakutani during his audition for the show, later joking that she was perfect for an impression since many are unaware of what she looks or sounds like.[22]

Publications

[edit]
  • The Poet at the Piano: Portraits of Writers, Filmmakers, Playwrights, and Other Artists at Work. Times Books. 1988. ISBN 978-0812912777.
  • The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump. Crown Publishing Group. 2018. ISBN 978-0525574828.
  • Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Re-Read. Crown Publishing Group. 2020. ISBN 9780525574972.
  • The Great Wave: The Era of Radical Disruption and the Rise of the Outsider. Crown Publishing Group. 2024. ISBN 9780525574996.

Awards

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kakutani, Michiko (July 13, 2018), "I Know What Incarceration Does to Families. It Happened to Mine.", The New York Times
  2. ^ Niiya, Bruce. "Yoshiko Uchida". Densho. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Criticism — Biography". Pulitzer Prizes. 1998. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007..
  4. ^ Martinelli, Marissa (July 27, 2017). ""The Stupidest Person in New York City": How Authors Responded to Michiko Kakutani's Harshest Reviews". Slate. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Cochrane, Kira (April 30, 2008). "Don't mess with Michiko Kakutani". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Pompeo, Joe (2017). "Michiko Kakutani, the Legendary Book Critic and the Most Feared Woman in Publishing, Is Stepping Down from The New York Times". The Hive. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (December 16, 2012). "'Antifragile,' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb". The New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Taleb, Nassim Nicholas (2018). Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life. Random House Publishing Group. p. 44. ISBN 9780425284636.
  9. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (December 6, 2010). "Marilyn, Dostoyevsky and Me, Her Pup". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  10. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (July 23, 2002). "Hipoisie and Chic-oisie And London Had the Mojo". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  11. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (August 23, 2005). "Who's Afraid of Holden Caulfield?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  12. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (June 19, 2005). "Digging For Gold In Stilettos And Silk". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (October 24, 2005). "Tru, Dear, There's Only One Holly. Moi". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  14. ^ "Michiko Kakutani Is Retiring", Press Run, NYT, July 27, 2017.
  15. ^ Zack, Jessica (July 17, 2018). "Book critic Michiko Kakutani takes on Trump in 'The Death of Truth'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  16. ^ Been, Eric Allen (July 25, 2018). "Michiko Kakutani, esteemed book critic, has finally written a book. It's about Trump". Vox. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread". Book Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Great Wave". Penguin Random House. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  19. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (October 22, 2004). "In a Fan's Eyes, the World Turns Upside Down". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  20. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (January 26, 2009). "Insider's View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  21. ^ a b c McCreesh, Shawn (July 23, 2018). "230 Minutes With Michiko Kakutani". Vulture. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Dowd, Maureen (January 25, 2020). "Bowen Yang of 'S.N.L.' Is a Smash. And a Mensch". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  23. ^ Pilkington, Ed (May 11, 2010). "'This remarkably tedious novel': Michiko Kakutani skewers Martin Amis". The Guardian. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  24. ^ Paulson, Steve (July 3, 2005). "Michiko Kakutani: You know when you've been Kakutanied". The Independent. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Michaels, Joseph, "Michiko Kakutani and the Sadness of the World!", Essays and Fictions, 8.
  26. ^ Waters, Juliet (October 13, 2005). "Candace Bushnell moves from chick lit to fem lit with Lipstick Jungle". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  27. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (February 23, 2009), "Unrepentant and Telling of Horrors Untellable", The New York Times, retrieved April 9, 2009
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