Hi, my name is Kirsten! I was born in Delft in 1997. I have an older brother, a sister and a twin sister. I got a Bachelor's degree in Japanese Studies and a Master's degree in East Asian Studies at Leiden University. I focus mainly on history, especially literary and art history, and my favorite period in Japanese history is the Edo period (1600-1868). That's why I use this as the basis for the countries of Ōkoku and Ginkoku in Shirareta Sekai. I have a special place in my heart for the Japanese puppet theater and the amazing plays written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon in particular (you can find my theses on that subject on my articles page).
Japan is not my only interest, by the way, and certainly not the only one reflected in my book. I love languages, history and cultures in general, and inherited a love for ancient Egypt from my sister (a big Egypt fan). I even wanted to become an Egyptologist before I started learning Japanese! I am also interested in philosophy, music, psychology, medicine and art. I like drawing a lot and have recently started trying to animate. Other hobbies of mine include reading, singing, dancing and (of course) writing.
I often started writing stories as a child, but never found the motivation to finish them until I wrote the first version of "The Return of Layhar" in 2012. Since then, I rewrote it several times and changed it drastically until the idea - courtesy of my editor Kelly van der Laan – finally came into its own in the final product that is now available. Read more about my books at About Shirareta Sekai and check out my articles for Blog posts and background information (^ ^)
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