Julie Otsuka was born in 1962 in Palo Alto, in California. Her parents were of Japanese descent. Otsuka studied at Yale University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984. She graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1999.

Books published

• When the Emperor was Divine. 2002.
• The Buddha in the Attic. 2011.

Awards

• 2003 Asian American Literary Award, When the Emperor Was Divine
• 2003 Alex Award, When the Emperor Was Divine
• 2011 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, The Buddha in the Attic
• 2011 National Book Award, finalist, The Buddha in the Attic
• 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, finalist, The Buddha in the Attic
• 2011 Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction, The Buddha in the Attic
• 2012 American Academy of Arts and Letters “Arts and Letters Award in Literature”
• 2012 Prix Femina Étranger, The Buddha in the Attic