The Woman in the Dunes
Cover of the first Japanese edition | |
| Author | Kōbō Abe |
|---|---|
| Original title | Suna no Onna |
| Translator | E. Dale Saunders |
| Illustrator | Machi Abe |
| Cover artist | Yasuo Kazuki |
| Published | 1962 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | 1964 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 240 [U.S. Edition] |
| Awards | Yomiuri Prize |
| ISBN | 9780679733782 |
| OCLC | 325734 |
| LC Class | PZ4.A13 Wo |
The Woman in the Dunes (Japanese: 砂の女, Hepburn: Suna no Onna; lit. "Sand Woman") is a novel by the Japanese writer Kōbō Abe, published in 1962. It won the 1962 Yomiuri Prize for literature, and an English translation by E. Dale Saunders, and a film adaptation, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, appeared in 1964.
The novel is intended as a commentary on the claustrophobic and limiting nature of existence, as well as a critique of certain aspects of Japanese social behavior. The story is preceded by the aphorism "Without the threat of punishment there is no joy in flight."