"Kind of homeless writer" is how  Ishiguro describes himself. This isn´t really surprising, as he was born in Japan but educated
in England.
His novels have been  trasnslated into roughly 27 languages. As for his style, his prose is elegant and the  characters silences
are as relevant their dialogues.
In 1960, Ishiguro moved from Nagasaki, Japan, to Britain, when he was only six. He didn´t return until his adulthood, when
his desire was to visit old childhood places. His romantic desire to conserve the old Japan and preserve its dream is obvious in A Pale view of Hills (1983) and An Artist of the Floating World.

This vision is suited to the transitional period of World War II that Ishiguro depicts in these novels, in which old worlds crumble to reveal new ones. In  An Artist of the Floating World for example, Ono, a famous artist, uses his art and influence to forward imperialist Japan's agenda during World War II. Ono departs from his original style. This reflects how he is betraying his country.

In his next novel, The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro basically reinvented Ono as Stevens, an English butler turned a nazi sym-
pathizer.This magnificent novel won him the Booker Prize, in1988. Later, The Remains of the Day made him even more famous,as it was adapted into an Oscar winning film.
Winning the Booker Prize assured him succes in his next novel, The Unconsoled. However, there were mixed reviews by the critics for it. However, it won him the Cheltenham Prize. It reveals Ishiguro´s high interest in music. In fact, he dreamt of being a  rock star in his youth and he still plays the guitar and the piano. TheUnconsoled is very emotional filed with unanswered expectations and hopes, and a sense of loss.

volver           ©Ellen Uchimiya