An extract from Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated by Polly Barton
A literary phenomenon in Japan, Hunchback is an extraordinary and thrilling debut novel about sex, disability and power
Polly Barton
Polly Barton is a literary translator and writer
Her translations from Japanese to English include the bestselling Butter by Asako Yuzuki, Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda, There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura, and Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki. Her English-language translation of Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
Barton has also written two acclaimed non-fiction works, Fifty Sounds and Porn. She lives in Bristol.
This unashamed, unflinching and subversive novel defiantly dismantles assumptions about disability and desire
— The 2025 judges on Hunchback
All nominated books
A literary phenomenon in Japan, Hunchback is an extraordinary and thrilling debut novel about sex, disability and power
Translated by Polly Barton