One of the most celebrated of Japan’s new generation of writers, Sayaka Murata has won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, as well as the Noma, the Mishima Yukio Prizes and Gunzo New Writers Award.

Her smash-hit Convenience Store Woman – about a quirky misfit living outside society’s lines – made her a global sensation. Earthlings, Life Ceremony, and her latest novel Vanishing World explore increasingly extreme subversions of social expectations and norms, particularly around the role of women and their bodies.

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter was a cult bestseller in Japan and has stormed international charts. Following a female serial killer accused of seducing her victims with food, it’s a gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

They discuss their brilliantly rebellious works – and what they capture about women’s experiences in Japan and beyond – with Paula Morris.