Author Kazuo Ishiguro
Country United Kingdom
Genre Historical Fiction
Publication Date 1986
Pages 206
I have read a few books by Kazuo Ishiguro but the most memorable amongst those have been 'Nocturnes' and 'Never let me go'. On account of my extremely positive experience with these books; this Booker prize winning author has been a little special to me: his unique style with a little stroke of Japanese is something that has always stayed with me; way beyond the written word!
And it is with exactly these expectations that I picked up another one of his books: 'An Artist of the Floating World'. But as they say, high expectations lead to disappointments and that's exactly what happened here. There is no denying that this is a good book of its own accord but it surely falls short of the Kazuo Ishiguro league! I recognise that this may not be fair to the author or to the book, but such is life and the trap of expectations that it lays for us.
Set in post war Japan (1948), 'An Artist of the Floating World' traces the life of the celebrated painter, Masuji Ono and his coming to terms with the reality of the new Japan. What should have been a tranquil retirement with tasks such as attending to the garden, house repairs, his daughters and grandson, drinking with old friends; turns into an unsettling phase with constant reflection on the past and the beautiful times gone by.
Through the course of the book we see how Masuji can't help but reminiscence about the past and this constant going back is indeed one of the central themes of the book. Our inability to snap completely free from our past is what binds us down and keeps us from moving ahead. And that's perfectly portrayed through the character of Masuji. I can't help but reflect that life would have been so much simpler if we had the ability to just snap free but guess; its this inability that makes us human vs machines.
One of my favourite quotes from the book on the above theme is:
'That little world has passed away and will not be returning. The old district was dear to her heart - much of her life and energy had been invested in it - and one can surely understand her reluctance to accept it has gone forever.'
Another significant focus of the book and my personal take away is how the world of art plays a pivotal role in formulating public opinion; esp. in an evolving society. Masuji's reflection on his pieces of work and those done by his peers, students and others and how they influenced a maturing Japan bear testimony to the above.
In summary, while the book is not a perfect Kazuo Ishiguro book, it does have some interesting and insightful themes and what I have particularly liked is the fact that it ends on a rather optimistic note:
'To see how our city has been rebuilt, how things have recovered so rapidly over these years, fills me with genuine gladness.'
In summary, while this is not as good as I had expected it to be, I would encourage you to read it to find out for yourself!
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