Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Caribbean and Canadian Region)

Co-winner of the Canada-Japan Literary Award

Hiromi Goto’s acclaimed debut novel is a feminist examination of the Japanese Canadian immigrant experience. Focusing on the lives of three generations of women in modern day Alberta, Goto uses their stories to examine the impacts of privilege and cultural identity on Asian Canadian immigrants.

Since its publication in 1994, Hiromi Goto’s Chorus of Mushrooms has been recognized as a true classic of Canadian literature. One of the initial entries in NeWest Press’ long-running Nunatak First Fiction Series, Hiromi Goto’s inaugural outing was recognized by Commonwealth Writers as the Best First Book in the Caribbean and Canadian regions that year. It was also selected as co-winner of the Canada-Japan Literary Award.

This special edition was released for the 20th Anniversary of the book’s publication and includes an extensive afterword by Canadian novelist and Lambda Literary Award-winner Larissa Lai and an interview with the author on the impact the book has had on the Canadian literary landscape.

Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country’s greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors.

Hiromi Goto is the award-winning author of many books for youth and adults. Her adult novel, Chorus of Mushrooms (1994) was the recipient of the regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book as well as co-winner of the Canada-Japan Book Award. Her second adult novel, The Kappa Child, was awarded the James Tiptree Jr. Award. Hopeful Monsters was her first collection of short stories and in 2009, she co-wrote, with David Bateman, her first book of poetry, Wait Until Late Afternoon. More recently her YA novel, Half World, was winner of the 2010 Sunburst Award and the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and was longlisted for the IMPAC-Dublin Literary Award. Her latest YA publication is Darkest Light. Hiromi is also a mentro at Simon Fraser University's The Writer's Studio, an editor, and monther of two grown children. She is at work on graphic novels and short stories.

In honour of its 20th anniversary, NeWest Press released a special edition of her seminal Chorus of Mushrooms in Spring 2014.

Hiromi Goto's profile page

Brenda Kamino's profile page

Stephany Seki's profile page

• Winner, Canada-Japan Literary Award
• Winner, Commonwealth Writers Award, Best First Book

“Hiromi Goto expertly layers the experiences of a Japanese immigrant woman, her emotionally estranged daughter and her beloved granddaughter into a complex fabric and compelling story.” — Ottawa Citizen

“Hiromi Goto, a Japanese-Canadian writer, has written a masterpiece of our times … The readability of the text is attributable to the author’s craftsmanship, and one feels like reading it over and over again.” — The Herald

“Not only is Goto’s language precise and evocative, she has crafted a complex and poetic text that weaves realities and mysteries into a subtle pattern.” — Edmonton Journal