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Banana Yoshimoto's Real Name: Mahoko Yoshimoto
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Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな) 本名: Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子)
Answer: Banana Yoshimoto's real name is Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子). She chose "Banana" because she loved banana flowers.
Mahoko Yoshimoto was born on July 24, 1964, in Tokyo. She is the daughter of the critic and poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, and her sister Haruno Yoiko is a manga artist. She has said she chose the pen name "Banana" because of her love of banana flowers. From the early 2000s until 2015 she wrote it in hiragana as よしもとばなな, then returned to 吉本ばなな.
Her debut novel Kitchen (1988) became a bestseller and a phenomenon called "Bananamania" in Japan. It won the Kaien Newcomer Writers Prize and was translated into many languages. Other works include Goodbye Tsugumi and Amrita.
FAQ
Why is she called Banana? She has said she loves banana flowers.
What is Banana Yoshimoto's most famous book? Kitchen (1988).