Yei Theodora Ozaki

Born in London in December 1870 to a Japanese father and an English mother, she later lived in Japan and wrote in English from a distinctly cross-cultural perspective. That background shaped her career as a translator and reteller of Japanese stories for Western readers.

She is best known for collecting and adapting Japanese fairy tales and short stories, especially in books such as Japanese Fairy Tales. Her versions were not always literal translations, but they became widely read and were reprinted many times, helping bring Japanese folklore to English-speaking audiences in the early 20th century.

She died on December 28, 1932. Today, she is still valued as an important literary bridge between Japan and the English-speaking world, especially for readers discovering traditional Japanese tales for the first time.