Sapphire (English spelling)

Japanese: サファイア（英語表記）Sapphire

Occupation/Title: Performance poet, writer
nationality: US
date of birth: 1950
place of birth: New York
Real name: Lofton, Ramona
Education: Brooklyn College
Biography: African-American. Grew up in various military bases around the US. Her father was a tyrant and her mother abandoned the family, but at the age of 26, she reunited with her mother and moved to Harlem, New York. She worked as a dancer in a strip club, learning to dance while writing poetry. In 1986, her mother died, followed by her younger brother, aunt, and others, and the content of her poetry changed. From 1987 to 1993, she taught reading and writing at alternative schools in New York. In 1994, she published a collection of poems called "American Dreams." While writing her master's thesis at Brooklyn University, she wrote "Guts" in her diary, and in 1996, she made her debut as an author with "Guts." In the same year, she published her first novel, "Push+," based on her experiences as a teacher. The story, which candidly describes the growth of an African-American girl who learns to read and write despite being abused by her parents in Harlem, and carves out a path for herself in life, became a bestseller around the world and garnered great acclaim. In Japan, it was published as "Precious." A film adaptation (Precious) was released in 2009, for which Sidibe was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and Mo'Nique won for Best Supporting Actress.

Source: Nichigai Associates "Modern Foreigner Directory 2016" About the Modern Foreigner Directory 2016

Japanese:

職業・肩書: パフォーマンス詩人,作家
国籍: 米国
生年月日: 1950年
出生地: ニューヨーク州
本名: ロフトン,ラモーナ
学歴: ブルックリン大学
経歴: アフリカ系アメリカ人。米国内の軍基地を転々として育つ。父は暴君で、母は家族を捨てたが、26歳の時に母と再会し、ニューヨークのハーレムに移り住む。ストリップ・クラブのダンサーをし、ダンスを学びながら詩を書く。1986年母が死去、次いで弟、おばなど次々に失い、詩の内容も変化する。’87〜93年ニューヨークのオールタナティブ・スクールで読み書きを教える。’94年詩集「アメリカの夢」を出版。ブルックリン大学で修士論文を書くかたわら、日記帳に「ガッツ」を書きため、’96年「ガッツ」で作家デビュー。同年教師時代の体験をもとにした初めての小説「Push+」を発表。ハーレムで両親の虐待を受けながらも読み書きを学び、人生を切り開くアフリカ系少女の成長を赤裸々に綴った物語は世界中でベストセラーとなり、大きな評判を得る。日本では「プレシャス」として刊行された。2009年には映画化(「プレシャス」)され、シディベがアカデミー賞出演女優賞にノミネート、モニークが助演女優賞を獲得した。