With the release of his seventh novel, The Buried Giant, this week, Booker Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro makes his return to the literature world. The Japanese-born British writer has written works deemed to be classics, and was ranked by The Times as the 32nd greatest British writer since 1945. But for those of you out there who are perhaps new to Ishiguro, here’s what you need to know before dashing out and buying his latest.
While Ishiguro did not return to Japan for many years, and became a British citizen in 1982, his first two novels were set in Japan, though by Ishiguro’s own admission bore very little resemblance to Japanese writing. His first novel, A Pale View of the Hills, is the story of a Japanese woman living in England, and reflecting on her past in Japan, perhaps inspired by Ishiguro’s own parents. While it was the only novel of his not to be shortlisted for any major awards, it was nevertheless awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize.
His second novel, An Artist of the Floating World, was awarded the Whitbread Prize and was the first of five novels to be nominated for the Booker Prize (with one winning). Again set in Japan, this novel explores the effect of the Second World War on Japan post-1945, and particularly on narrator Masuji Ono, once a promising painter whose reputation is left damaged by the war.
Leaving Japan behind, Ishiguro’s next novel was the one for which he is best known, the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day. Shifting his focus to British aristocracy and servitude, The Remains of the Day is the story of butler Stevens, and his professional and personal relationship with former housekeeper Miss Kenton. It was not just the novel that earned praise, however. The film adaptation, starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, was nominated for an incredible eight Academy Awards.
The new millenium brought with it When We Were Orphans in 2000, and though it was again nominated for the Booker Prize, Ishiguro himself considers it one of his weakest books. Not so with 2005’s remarkable Never Let Me Go. This astonishing dystopia, an alternate history in which the cloning process is perfected and clones are raised to be organ donors, is a devastating and brilliant read, and also brought Ishiguro closest to his second Booker Prize. A leaked judging committee account revealed that the final decision was between Never Let Me Go and John Banville’s The Sea. Adapted into a film starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley in 2010, Never Let Me Go is considered along with The Remains of the Day as his finest work.
The Buried Giant is Ishiguro’s first release since Never Let Me Go. He may not be the most prolific author, but taking the time to perfect his writing is how we get such classics as The Remains of the Day. However, this book is very different from his previous releases, venturing into Britain’s mythical past. Already receiving great reviews, we will soon see if The Buried Giant handles mythology and fantasy as deftly as Ishiguro handled butlers, clones, and Japan.