Traditionalists in Japan hated her feminist novel, but Breasts and Eggs was a huge bestseller. The author talks about taking on male privilege, orientalist cliches … and Haruki Murakami

Mieko Kawakami began writing partly to explore the “randomness and strangeness” of life – so it is oddly fitting that the release of her novel Breasts and Eggs (Chichi to Ran in Japanese) has suddenly been upended by a worldwide pandemic. After building up a loyal following in Japan over the decade, Kawakami was all set to go global, attending festivals in the US and Europe, before Covid-19 hit. Still, being stuck at home with her young son has provided plenty of grist for her feminist mill.

“It’s just assumed that mothers will accept the burden,” she says, over tea at a cafe in the suburbs of west Tokyo. “We’ll look after the children, teach them, prepare the bento and do all that extra work – even though many of us have jobs too.” The rot starts from the top; she recalls a publicity photo of the government’s first, and all-male, coronavirus taskforce.

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Breasts and Eggs, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, is published by Picador on 20 August. Mieko Kawakami will be in conversation with Catherine Taylor for Edinburgh international book festival on 27 August.