A woman writer born into a family of itinerant traders who wandered through Onomichi, Shimonoseki, and other places, who spent a poor childhood. "The life of flowers is short, and there is nothing but suffering" is the famous opening line of "Horoki" (The Diary of a Vagabond). "Horoki" (1928-30) is an autobiographical novel based on her own experiences working in various jobs — cafe waitress, factory worker, laundress — depicting the lives of ordinary people with an independent sensibility different from proletarian literature. It became a major bestseller in the early Showa period. During the war she went to China and Malaya as a "war correspondent," and also wrote works recording wartime experiences including "Sensen" and "Hokugantai." After the war, "Ukigumo" (Floating Clouds, 1950) depicted the desolation of postwar society and the relationship between men and women, evaluated as an immortal masterpiece. She died suddenly at forty-eight.

Freewheeling and full of vitality, she kept writing without yielding to her poor circumstances. A complex person in whom intense self-confidence — enough to call herself "a genius" — coexisted with sympathy and empathy for those at the bottom of society.

"Horoki" and "Ukigumo" are still read today as masterpieces of Showa literature. The stage version of "Horoki" starring Mori Mitsuko ran for more than 2,000 performances — an extraordinary long run — and the name of Hayashi Fumiko has been passed down as a cultural heritage of the Showa era.