Shiono was born in
Tokyo, on 7 July 1937. In high school she read
Homer's
Iliad and was fascinated by it. She graduated from
Gakushuin University with a degree in
philosophy. During her school years, she was deeply involved with
student activism, but eventually became disillusioned with the movement. Shiono wanted to attend
Waseda University, but she was denied by her father. From 1963 to 1968, she lived in Italy, studying the language and history of the country on her own. During this time, she also travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Upon returning to Japan in 1968, she began to write and published her first book,
Runesansu no Onna-tachi (Women of the Renaissance), in the literary magazine
Chūo Kōron. In 1970, she published her second work
Chēzare Borujia Aruiwa Yūganaru Reikoku (Cesare Borgia the Elegant Tyrant). In the same year, she married an Italian doctor of Sicilian descent and moved to
Florence. They had a son, but later divorced. She moved to
Rome in 1993 and currently lives there.
Works Her early work from the 1970s contain many historical novels set in Renaissance Italy, such as those listed above and
Kami no Dairinin (Deputies of God). Later her interests shifted to the history of
Venice. In 1980, she published
Umi no Miyako no Monogatari (Story of the City of the Sea), the work that made Shiono a nationally known figure. In 1992 Shiono started a monumental work on ancient Rome,
Roma-jin no Monogatari (Stories of the Romans). Completed in 2006, it is a 15-volume series that traces the history of the city and the
Roman Empire. She has also written many non-fiction works, mainly essays on historic, political and/or cultural topics.
Reputation and awards Although her first works were well received in Japan, it was not until the publication of
Umi no Miyako no Monogatari that she became a best-selling author.
Umi no Miyako no Monogatari became a literary phenomenon in the 1980s, eliciting reviews that compared Venice to Japan and sought hints about the future of Japan in her book. Her books were first published in
Korea in 1995, and
Roma-jin no Monogatari quickly became a bestseller there (
Roma-in Iyagi in Korean).{{cite web Shiono was awarded the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award from the
Mainichi daily newspaper for
Runesansu no Onna-tachi. In 1982,
Umi no Miyako no Monogatari won the
Suntory Literary Prize. She won the
Kikuchi Kan Prize the following year. For
Roma-jin no Monogatari, she was awarded the
Shincho Literary Prize. She received the
Shiba Ryotaro Prize in 1999, and in 2002 the Italian government conferred upon her the Grande Ufficiale Order of Merit for introducing Italian history and culture to Japan. In Japan, opinions about Shiono's work are divided. Her works have been praised for their historical sweep, but have also been called oversimplified depictions of moments in history that were in fact multi-faceted and complicated. Professional historians tend to criticize her works for their lack of references and objectivity. Her interpretations of ancient Roman history have been challenged, and some critics object to what they see as right-leaning political tendencies. == Shiono Nanami's Works ==