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An Artist of the Floating World

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 5,138 ratings · 400 reviews

In An Artist of the Floating World, Kazuo Ishiguro offers readers of the English language an authentic look at postwar Japan, "a floating world" of changing cultural behaviors, shifting societal patterns and troubling questions. Ishiguro, who was born in Nagasaki in 1954 but moved to England in 1960, writes the story of Masuji Ono, a bohemian artist and purveyor of the nig...more

Paperback, 206 pages

Published March 3rd 2005 by Faber and Faber (first published 1986)

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Jun 03, 2012 Praj rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ki

Each time my eyelids bowed down to the devil of grave drowsiness, the concave depths displayed a lean, modest shadowy figure standing on the Bridge of Hesitation; the wrinkles on his forehead becoming deeper , trembling with culpability, wishing for Noriko’s miai to be an incessant success. The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow">Jerome K Jerome was accurate with his analysis of the solitude of an idle mind bringing generous thoughts. There I was, nursing an acute bronchial cough cursing the fat...more Each time my eyelids bowed down to the devil of grave drowsiness, the concave depths displayed a lean, modest shadowy figure standing on the Bridge of Hesitation; the wrinkles on his forehead becoming deeper , trembling with culpability, wishing for Noriko’s miai to be an incessant success. The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow">Jerome K Jerome was accurate with his analysis of the solitude of an idle mind bringing generous thoughts. There I was, nursing an acute bronchial cough cursing the fateful knitting needles for hampering my purling flair even as Masuji diffidently questioned Mr.Kuroda’s whereabouts to his surly assistant. How could a man be punished for something he believed in? How can skepticism prevail on man’s patriotic ideals when his loved ones too perished in the dreadful horror? Is the idea of patriotism merely seductive when one does not have to stand on the edge of its justification? “Ordinary men with no special gifts of insight, it was simply our misfortune to have been ordinary men during such times.”, that is what Mr. Mastuda asserted rubbishing Masuji’s contemplation of a culpable survival. The close knit life of ordinary men is anything but ordinary. The narrow area of existence magnifies the aspects of circumstantial actions. The wrongs do not get washed by the flow of vast oceanic waves but float amid the marshes of a pond. Isn’t ‘the lives of ordinary men’ restricted as the stagnant pond waters? The tight-knit communities in which he daily moves, the by-lanes, the alleys which witness his daily travels and those numerous heads that pop up at the windows every time he closes his door; absolutely nothing is inescapable in the life of an ordinary men. With such unusual vigilance how could his troubles then be marginal? Dignity and self-respect brings a sense of calmly happiness to the life of an ordinary man. With no monetary affluence or supremacy, ‘dignity’ seems the only path of his civil acceptance. In a world so constricted with flimsy lifelines of obstinate relationships, exile is a nightmarish death.

‘The validation of a war’; I dread debating this subject as my nerves tremble with utmost anger. A part of me appreciates the use of military powers in virulent situation of civil conundrum. And, then there is the other half that contests the legitimacy of the power usage in case of political egotistical fulfillment. Comprehension of any war literature is a chaotic process hindered by my faint heart. I have always nattily stayed away from any war related prose, especially the ordeal of soldiers or the aftermath of human lives. I may not know the tribulation of braving a war front or structuring a war graph, nevertheless I certainly know that is shameful to doubt the worthiness of valiant sacrifices. The anger that seethed when Suichi called the deaths of young Japanese soldiers wasteful appeased when he validated his disdain by questioning the prevailing injustice of seeing the ‘real culprits’ still alive and enjoying luxurious perks amid the brazenness of righteousness. “To my mind, that’s the greatest cowardice of all”. How true! Isn’t’ that a bitch! Ishiguro speaks the language of restless youths of many generations questioning the inequitable penalty of the war. The politicians, spiritual leaders, capitalist cliques waving their chameleonic flags of patriotism shy away from battling on their once beloved home ground. Why those clandestine escapes to safe havens when their own vile concoctions amalgamate in their own drinks? Why not brave the salient turmoil themselves, that these ‘benevolent guardians’ stir? Suichi admitting flaws of the nationalistic chimera, the misplaced self-respect and prevailing shamelessness veiled under a patriotic farce is a tale told by every life of a torn nation.

Japan was a torn nation after the WWII, feelings ranging from compassions to abhorrence raced among the minds of those alive and trying to weave a better future in their displaced living. Those who once were applauded for their patriotic songs were now mercilessly beaten and whispers about selected betrayers flooded the atmospheric desolation. Masuji was among those who lived with ignominy finding getaways from his past leeched onto him like a hungry parasite. Masuji Ono may have once been the most revered artist of his time, but to me he is now a worried father of Noriko fearing the consequences of his past action being detrimental on his daughter’s future. Having lost his wife and son in the war, the only family Masuji had was his two daughters, how in the devil could he allow his condemnation of his war efforts hamper the bright prospects of his unmarried daughter. Masuji was no longer the influential artists of the Pre-war era; he was now an old feeble man who relied on old memories and occasion outing in the Midi-Hidari neighborhood for a pleasurable day; comprehending the wisdom behind the western influence in his grandson’s rearing

Kazuo Ishiguro highlights the apprehension of a man in admitting his mistake in the fear of his denunciation; chronicled three years after the war. An Artist of the Floating world, the name Ishiguro chose for his novel, travels through magical serenades of flamboyantly lit streets of Midi-Hidari district, the hypnotic sways of delicate fingers playing amongst the elegant kimonos captured through beautiful brush strokes ,where an local artist reveled in his honorable dignity only to lose it and then gain it back again with grit and determination as there is certainly no shame in admitting one’s mistake made in the best faith because in a ‘changing world’ one is bound to stumble and falter because no one is perfect or a virtuous ‘sensei’.
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Aug 17, 2009 Whitaker rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who finds this review meaningful...

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, japan, 2009-read

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail
Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about to break
Until at last the bottom fell out.
No more water in the pail!
No more moon in the water!

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Jan 26, 2009 selena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

After reading Never Let Me Go, I swore that I would read more of Ishiguro's work. It was fate that I ran across An Artist of the Floating World at my Library. The novel isn't a particularly long one - coming in at a mere 206 pages. It was a breeze to get through.

I'm noticing that with Ishiguro's narrators so far, the tone is very conversational. Throughout this book, the protagonist Masuji Ono, a retired artist, speaks intimately to the reader

Throughout the book, Masuji Ono, the protagonist, spe...more After reading Never Let Me Go, I swore that I would read more of Ishiguro's work. It was fate that I ran across An Artist of the Floating World at my Library. The novel isn't a particularly long one - coming in at a mere 206 pages. It was a breeze to get through.

I'm noticing that with Ishiguro's narrators so far, the tone is very conversational. Throughout this book, the protagonist Masuji Ono, a retired artist, speaks intimately to the reader

Throughout the book, Masuji Ono, the protagonist, speaks to the reader directly. Much like in real conversations, there are tangents and complete changes of topic.Masuji, a retired artist, often finds himself wanting to describe what happened with one of his daughters , but somehow takes us back to his days of art apprenticeship and the trials Japan faced during WWII. The conversational tone added to how quickly the book passed, for me,because the stories were very interesting and it felt odd to have to put the book down during his conversational recollection.

I don't really know how to tell you what the book is about. Masuju is trying to make sure his second daughter is able to marry. In Japan, there is a process prior to the marriage where both families investigate one another to make sure that they are pleased with the history of the family. They go as far as to hire investigators for this process.Masuji is particularly worried for his daughter because the year before, the suitor's family backed out of the marriage without any good reason. His daughters hint that this may be because ofMasuji's past.

The book is very slow to reveal what it is that could potentially be spoiling his daughter's chances at marriage - but the journey that leads you there is an altogether interesting one.Masuji's opinions, which he heavily showcased in his paintings during WWII, are no longer held by society. They are in fact looked down upon by society. In Japan, people fault you for your past.

I enjoyed the parts of the book that directly related to his art. The stories of his daughters were secondary. As a young child, he enjoyed painting and knew he would not take on the family business like his father wanted. I felt sympathetic to Masuji's character. I'm very familiar with what it is like to have your career belittled by others. The form of training that was offered in Japan for aspiring artists at that time is so interesting to me. When I was younger, I attended an art school over the summer where we were encouraged to create our unique style. In Japan, you gained respect by mimicking the style of an already famous artist.

This novel has a very under-stated message. It speaks of misunderstandings and the changing views of a society. Masuji Ono, represents the "older" generation of Japan, the old views of how things are. His daughter's husbands represent the new generation, the generation of "change" which misunderstands the past. This short novel is able to give you a snapshot of post-war Japan in all its melancholy state through the eyes of a jaded retired artist.(less)

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Dec 30, 2012 umberto rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, japan

This was the first novel, by Kazuo Ishiguro, that I finished reading due to its seemingly familiar title. From its 206 pages, I think, most readers should find reading it quite manageable as guaranteed by its Winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 1986. Reading it, as for me, was relatively enjoyable since I needed concentration in following various episodes and its key protagonist named Masuji Ono, the eminent painter, during his retiring years in the midst of his family, neighbours...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Evan Leach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booker-nominees, literary-fiction, 1980-1989, brit-lit

Written between Ishiguro’s first novel (A Pale View of Hills) and his most famous (The Remains of the Day), An Artist of the Floating World borrows elements from both. The setting of postwar Japan is the same one featured in his first book, while the story and style are strongly reminiscent of The Remains of the Day (in a sense, this is an adaptation of The Remains of the Day from the master’s perspective). The finished product lies somewhere between Hills and Remains of the Day , but given tha...more Written between Ishiguro’s first novel (A Pale View of Hills) and his most famous (The Remains of the Day), An Artist of the Floating World borrows elements from both. The setting of postwar Japan is the same one featured in his first book, while the story and style are strongly reminiscent of The Remains of the Day (in a sense, this is an adaptation of The Remains of the Day from the master’s perspective). The finished product lies somewhere between Hills and Remains of the Day , but given that Ishiguro’s third book is one of my all-time favorites that is meant as high praise.

An Artist of the Floating World tells the story of Masuji Ono, a retired artist living in the late 1940s. The story fluctuates between Ono’s present concerns and his past as an artist in prewar Japan. Ishiguro uses the first person perspective to masterful effect (as always), and Ono is not always the most reliable narrator, which helps make the book interesting and rewards careful reading. A Pale View of Hills tried to use the same technique, but ended up being sort of a “gotcha” book with its twist at the end. In An Artist of the Floating World, Ishiguro deploys more of the subtlety that made Remains of the Day such an addicting read. I can’t say that I’ve read a ton of novels centered in postwar Japan, but I thought Ishiguro did an excellent job setting up the state of the nation and summarizing the psyche of that people at that time.

I didn’t think this book was quite as polished as The Remains of the Day, and while the structure worked it wasn’t as inspired as in that book. There are parts of this book, particularly those involving Ono’s grandson, that drag. But this is nitpicking. An Artist of the Floating World is an excellent depiction of postwar Japan, and a book that I really enjoyed. At only 206 pages, it’s a short read and well worth it considering the power the book hides within the folds of Ono’s shifty narration. 4.5 stars, highly recommended.

Finalist: Man Booker Prize (1986)(less)

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Jul 20, 2008 matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fictions-of-the-big-it, worldly-lit

Steady, measured, gentle, sure-handed, slightly seductive.

Ishiguro's narrator is fooling himself for sure throughout his tale, but you almost believe him.

Some wonderfully graceful pacing, with the situations and pages melting into one another, which as one reviewer here remarked, makes a "floating world" all its own.

It sort of reminds me of the thing said about Flaubert's "Sentimental Education"- the main theme is largely heard in the background. For Flaubert it was revolutionary upheaval in mid...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fiction-asian

A well-written story of an aging Japanese artist who looks back on his career and his role in the "patriotic" movement toward imperialism and war. He struggles to understand the changing Japanese culture, the shunting aside of the older generation that is distrusted by pro-American factions, the attitudes of his two daughters and grandson, and his own faulty memories. There are wonderful insights into post-war Japan, the role of loyalty, the struggles between teacher and pupil. He is egotistical...more

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Nov 05, 2007 Arne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great story, but even better writer. His stories are seamless and he really gets at character development, but in a way that you don't think you're reading fiction, it seems completely natural and real...in terms of writing, he's fantastic.

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Feb 16, 2013 Samadrita rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ishiguro fans and Japan lovers/haters

Recommended to Samadrita by: Tan Twan Eng

Shelves: man-booker-shortlist-longlist, japan, world-war-ii, melancholia, asian-literature, human-drama, slice-of-life, sort-of-good, historical, 1001-and-more, anti-imperialist

If you've already read The Remains of the Day, chances are your enjoyment of An Artist of the Floating World will be greatly curtailed. And that is the sheer tragedy of this book.

Replace Stevens with Masuji Ono. Replace a tottering England with a war-ravaged, financially unstable Japan and insert Ishiguro's penchant for allegory. And TADA you have An Artist of the Floating World.

This book had potential to be a very emotionally charged commentary on a nation rebuilding itself from its charred (at...more

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May 09, 2013 William rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: uk, fiction, 20-ce

Second reading. The gist of this novel is the narrator's culpability for his patriotic actions during the war with the U.S. Set in a suburb of Tokyo during the American occupation, the narrator, Masuji Ono, is now surrounded by those who blame him and those like him for Japan's disastrous gamble on war. Ono's generation was that of the old men cheerleading for war. And there can be no question about his complicity. In his youth he trained as an artist of the demimonde or "floating world," but tu...more

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May 20, 2008 Rea rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. **WARNING- MAY CONTAIN SPOLIERS**

There are stereotypes that emerge from Japan of a rigid society soaked in traditions and formal ceremonies; of following one's masters or teacher and commanding respect for one's elders. This book demonstrates that in reality Japan is a society at ills between these traditions and the desire to evolve.

This can be seen in Ono's discussion with his teacher when he lights the lanterns, or the manner in which Ono's eldest daughter speaks with him; a strong desire no...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: booker-longlist, published-1986, fraudio, summer-2012, tbr-busting-2012, japan, cover-love, dodgy-narrator, art-forms, wwii, shortstory-shortstories-novellas

F:\bookies\not essential\registered\Ishiguro, Kazuo\An Artist of the Floating World

Home audio - don't know what to expect!

Unabridged and read by David Case. Lordy but how these narrators do not fit Ishiguro's work... did he not get a choice?

This is a novella in four parts:

October 1948
April 1949
November 1949
June 1950

The narrator is Masuji Ono who is out of step with the changing times of Japan's defeat. He reminds me strongly of those colonialist elders that used to populate many a family reunion...more

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May 01, 2013 Arun rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: man-booker-shortlists

This is a novel that clearly expresses its views on nationalistic sentiments - the so-called patriotism - through the life of a painter. The concept of war and reforms were being discussed so sensibly and delicately.

It is about the story of an elderly Japanese painter named Ono who had married off his 1st daughter and struggling to get his 2nd daughter to get married off. His wife had passed away five years ago and his son was killed in war. The plot was set in the pre- and post-World War II.
The...more This is a novel that clearly expresses its views on nationalistic sentiments - the so-called patriotism - through the life of a painter. The concept of war and reforms were being discussed so sensibly and delicately.

It is about the story of an elderly Japanese painter named Ono who had married off his 1st daughter and struggling to get his 2nd daughter to get married off. His wife had passed away five years ago and his son was killed in war. The plot was set in the pre- and post-World War II.
The man who was happy and peaceful seems to have some dark past in which he had committed mistakes that he recalls guiltily. To top that, the marriage engagement for her daughter had been called off at the last moment without any apparent reason being given by the groom party pushed him into depression and turned his heartbroken daughter arrogant. We explore some wonderful relationship between his first daughter's seven year old boy and Ono.
We get glimpses of his past when he works under two mentors - the 1st one being painfully routine giving no time to taste the art but bent only on productivity and the 2nd master being strict upon following his own methods of art. The latter seems to be insisting his disciples to draw only about happiness - the temporary happiness that people get at nights in bars over drinks and that vanishes the next morning. Ono was critical of that, after having been advised by one of his colleagues; who taught him to see the reality. Thus when Ono painted the reality - that is, soldiers dying and politicians enjoying - his master sends him out branding him a "traitor." Ono comes out, and makes a successful career while his master was on decline.
The younger generation - his sons-in-laws and others - were critical of the patriotic feeling that lingered which had led to the "unnecessary deaths" of numerous people. Also, they seem to be inclined towards the American system of improvement. They envisaged a New Japan. Ono being a Luddite, spoke against all these dizzying developments.
Prior to war, Ono and his disciples, in overly nationalistic sentiments, had made anti-China posters that influence greatly people of their generation. Ono being one of the most influential people, had been able to stir people's moods back then. It had created in one way or the other wars that led to the death of multiple people. At old age, when he painfully retrospects his actions, fuelled by his sons-in-laws' critical assessments and disapproval of so-called patriotism, he realises his mistakes; and ever since that realisation, he struggled to accept reality and feared losing the fame and good name he had earned. Finally, something drives him to confess being wrong.
Also, a singer of his times who had made up songs instilling patriotic feelings in people just like Ono's art did had committed suicide realising the same. That had created apprehensions in his daughters if Ono, too, would, as "an apology for his actions", hang himself.
Did Ono die? If not, why? What made him to realise the truth? What made him confess? That is the story.(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kazuo Ishiguro creates worlds and characters that come alive on the page even if you are from a vastly different culture and time period.
Ishiguro doesn't describe the streets, buildings and homes in this section of Japan at this time, but the reader knows how they look.
Masuji Ono isn't a very sympathetic character. He repeats several times in the novel that "we have nothing to hide". This novel concerns the subject of personal and political responsibility. Does it matter if one believes they are...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Naomi Kaskela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, japanese-authors

Another delightful, yet difficult, read courtesy of Ishiguro. As with Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, this novel was filled with despair at points. The main character, an aging Japanese gentleman with a past that doesn't fit well with Japan after the war, is trying to come to terms with his involvement during the war, and the less than kind ways in which his own children interact with him. At times, Ono-san, the artist, is irritating and it is difficult to feel any kind of sympathy f...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 07, 2012 Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

One reviewer described this novel as "tragicomic," which I think is apt, but both tragic and comic elements are very subtle here. It is a very well-executed portrait of an emotionally-cloistered old Japanese man, uncompromising in his professional habits, deluded about his own importance. Take out the word Japanese and you have "Remains of the Day," to which this book appears to be a companion piece, or more likely a warm-up, since the later book is superior.

The personal failure and pain of the...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, japan-fic-lit, historical-fiction

The victors write the history. How do the defeated respond? This novel, Ishiguro's second, attempts to show a personal reconciliation of events though the introspection of a Japanese artist, Masuji Ono. In his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, (1982) Ishiguro uses post-war Japan as a background for a different kind of haunting story. In this novel (1986), he makes it as central as the main character.

Ono's first person narrative goes back and forth in time giving the reader an interesting glimps...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Philip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Superficially, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel An Artist Of The Floating World seems to present a gentle observation of manners. There’s a daughter to marry and thus associated contracts to be nurtured and negotiated. There’s a relationship with an eight-year-old grandson who in the late 1940s is growing up with American cartoons and comic book heroes as his cultural icons. And, above all, there’s the artist himself, bound up with concerns of style and expression, keen to re-examine his influences, espec...more Superficially, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel An Artist Of The Floating World seems to present a gentle observation of manners. There’s a daughter to marry and thus associated contracts to be nurtured and negotiated. There’s a relationship with an eight-year-old grandson who in the late 1940s is growing up with American cartoons and comic book heroes as his cultural icons. And, above all, there’s the artist himself, bound up with concerns of style and expression, keen to re-examine his influences, especially those arising in the floating world.

His teacher had been instrumental in focusing his tutees on this floating world which could be found in the city’s night-time entertainment district. The artist of this world of pleasure, Masuji Ono, learned well from his master and adopted much from his style, technique and philosophy of Japanese painting.

But Ono was not satisfied to portray the floating world’s beauty for its own sake, or mere pleasure to evoke delight or diversion. No, he had other ideas, such as comment, loyalty, justice, pride, amongst others. And it is because of the direction of Masuji Ono’s developing inspiration that provides the book with its sinister, even violent thread.

An Artist Of The Floating World is set in post-war Japan. There is cleaning up and reconstruction to be done. There is much rebuilding, and not a little reconstruction, much of it not merely physical, but also cultural. A victor’s imposed norms are changing Japan’s future, perhaps to the relief of many who cannot live with their own country’s past.

Masuji Ono finds himself at the centre of this transformation because of his previous success as an artist. But, as he continues to seek a future husband for his younger daughter, his personal achievements apparently divide his acquaintances, pupils and even friends into distinct camps, those for, even reluctantly, and those definitely against.

The novel seems to inhabit similar territory to Orhan Pamuk’s later book, My Name Is Red. There is a debate about culture, heritage and identity at the heart of an apparently rather narrow discussion of aesthetics and artistic influence. While Pamuk’s characters inhabit the cut-throat world of the Ottoman court, Masuji Ono lives in a country defeated in war and ravaged by it. The desire to break with the past brings as much tension to Ono as the desire to retain it does in Red. But the style employed in An Artist Of The Floating World is deceivingly gentle and belies the deep tension and conflict at its heart.

Kazuo Isiguro’s prose is always silky smooth, so much so that An Artist Of The Floating World seems like a short, even simple book. Luckily for the reader it is neither.
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Sep 26, 2011 Patrick McCoy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, japan

Kazuo Ishigura's An Artist of the Floating World is a really impressive and subtle look at a man reflecting on his life in repose. I also found that his prose was able to capture the nuances of the Japanese language and it's vagueness. Masuji Ono is a retired artist of some fame who has retired and tries to live simply gardening, seeing to it that his youngest daughter gets married, seeing old friends, and entertaining his grandson. Slowly it is revealed that he feels some guilt toward the imper...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Mommalibrarian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, asian-african-indian

Mr Ono is a retired artist. As the book begins, he feels that his career was very successful and that he work had a significant influence in Japanese art. The second world war has ended and the Americans are occupying Japan. Different people adjust to this occupation in different ways. The book, in a meandering fashion, covers the changes in Mr Ono's personal interpretation of his place in history as he interacts with family and friends.

There are many interactions which are culturally impenetra...more

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Jun 17, 2011 June rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Ishiguro book I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more.

It's a beautifully written story of an aging Japanese artist who looks back on his career and his role in the "patriotic" movement supporting imperialism and war. The book leads us through his struggles to understand the changes that have happened since in Japan - particularly the rejection of his generation, distrusted by the younger, more western/American-influenced generation that has grown up post-war.

What...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Chenthil rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my second Ishiguro book after "Remains of The Day". Ishiguro's strength is that he lets the narrator talk directly to the reader, the writer doesn't come in between. The novel can be loosely termed as recollections of an artist in post war Japan. The painter Masuji Ono struggles to come to terms with the new Japan that shuns his kind of people (who pushed the imperialistic agenda of Japan that led to its ruin). His daughters & son in law subtly tell him that his ideology was somethin...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone. Particularly those with an appreciation for Japanese aesthetics.

Shelves: fiction, favorite-authors

As much the portrait of an aging artist as a portrait of post-apocalyptic 1950's Japan, one can expect all the read-between-the-lines tragic sadness-with-a-silver-lining prose that Ishiguro is just so bloody good at.

Stylistically, the story bears Ishiguro's paradoxical hallmark: it is written with such consummate restraint as to render his authorship nearly invisible. Under his subtle hand, the novel's characters and landscapes seem to take shape of their own accord. We are given a glimpse into...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Faith Justice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: given-away

This one left me wanting a little more resolution. After reading Never Let Me Go, I can see some of Ishiguro's style in this earlier work. We have a somewhat unreliable narrator who frequently let's us know he might be unreliable, by saying such things as, "At least, I think that's what he said. I do sharply remember..." He starts off seeming self-effacing, but the reader quickly deduces he has a pretty high opinion of himself, by the compliments he reports from others and his "humble" disregard...more

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Jan 02, 2010 Kerfe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The character of the artist Ono reveals himself in layers, peeling away the successful, satisfied, respectable artist to expose the conflicted passions of his, and post-WWII Japan's, past. The actual truth of his memories and observations mean less than the emotional truth they unveil. His "now" often seems to be lived in his mind, providing a screen between himself and his regret. He is indeed "of the floating world", present physically, but not attentive to actual events.

And how much fault, ho...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Seth Hahne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is, so far, my second-favourite Ishiguro book. Even if it wasn't, as advertised, a novel.

An Artist of the Floating World is the fifth of Kazuo Ishiguro's works I've read. I've been gradually working my way through since last year. I only have A Pale View of the Hills and Remains of the Day Left. I'm saving Remains of the Day for last—as it's the one that bought him all the acclaim. I'm almost certain to be disappointed, I guess. I'd almost have to be.

But that's neither here nor there becaus...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Milan/zzz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Milan/zzz by: Ruby

Shelves: asia

Read 2006

Kazuo Ishiguro is definitively one of my favorite contemporary writers and this novel is surely reminding me why? An Artist of the Floating World is first Ishiguro's novel that I've read which is settled in Japan and it brings such a fabulous picture of so many aspects of Japan society, tradition, culture and at the end, evolution. But more than anything it brings such a perfect picture of Japanese character. Magnificent indeed!
Lessons about Japanese role in WWII in school were inferior...more Read 2006

Kazuo Ishiguro is definitively one of my favorite contemporary writers and this novel is surely reminding me why? An Artist of the Floating World is first Ishiguro's novel that I've read which is settled in Japan and it brings such a fabulous picture of so many aspects of Japan society, tradition, culture and at the end, evolution. But more than anything it brings such a perfect picture of Japanese character. Magnificent indeed!
Lessons about Japanese role in WWII in school were inferior comparing with European part in all that and therefore my knowledge about this issue was not impressive at all. I knew only general, basic things and to be honest I never thought about how one Japanese (aggressor) looks on WW? Here we "can" see how art can be used in politic purposes and then how can ones handle with guilt and errors from the past. Book is no longer in my possession and therefore I cannot write quote from dialog of two old men but it's something like this:" At least we have thought that we are doing right thing and we've done the best we could do" Yes, but aren't we all doing things because we think they're right? I don't know, maybe I cannot swallow this excuse that easy because I've heard the same sentence too many times right here in my own backyard from many sides when battlefield has become only field once again.
The strangest thing is the fact that no matter where crime is committed the basic goal, the basic idea and therefore the ultimate excuse are universal. Unfortunately conciseness, admitting errors and self punishment; undergo catharsis is everything but universal. Instead of those we have more and more excuses and at the end the worst thing: justifying crime by another crime ... and here we go again ... But in Ishiguro's book, catharsis is so normal that the reader as well as characters is experiencing it. That positive energy of youngsters in the book is magnificent which is what impressed me the most.
How youngsters are looking into the future and build that future with such an enthusiasm. During that physical transformation of the cities much more impressive is that metal one. Oh we here have so many things to learn from Japanese.
Also cultural difference is breathtaking. Marriage custom, way of conversation between family members or student and teacher even the manner of behaving to someone who you hate is so ... well I guess: Japanese *lol*(less)

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May 29, 2011 Vasha7 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fine novel. The first book I've read by Ishiguro, and now I know what the fuss is about.

The most notable thing about it is the subtlety of the telling. For one thing, even though a major part of its subject matter is the brutal military dictatorship of Imperial Japan, Ishiguro doesn't sensationalize, in fact he understates. With a single exception, every scene represents people strolling in a garden, at dinner, in a teahouse, etc. -- talking. (In fact, the narrator Ono was very sheltered, it s...more A fine novel. The first book I've read by Ishiguro, and now I know what the fuss is about.

The most notable thing about it is the subtlety of the telling. For one thing, even though a major part of its subject matter is the brutal military dictatorship of Imperial Japan, Ishiguro doesn't sensationalize, in fact he understates. With a single exception, every scene represents people strolling in a garden, at dinner, in a teahouse, etc. -- talking. (In fact, the narrator Ono was very sheltered, it seems, but such unpleasantness as he encountered he is very reluctant to talk about.) And the conversations are full of subtext. They are the sort of dialog from which the reader can infer much about the relationships of the characters, but you're still left guessing in many cases. Ono gives his opinions in the narration, but his way of telling things tends to be indirect, and the reader puzzles over how well his perceptions match up with other people's, what he really thinks at the time he's talking, what he really thought at the times he talks about.

I know there's a lot more food for thought in this book than I picked up on from one reading. I definitely will reread it sometime. I'm still mulling over my reactions to the ending. Ono is willing to "accept responsibility" for his participation in imperialist propaganda campaigns, but how much, exactly, is he accepting? He states several times that he now sees that what he did was a mistake, but is he just saying that because he thought it would be good for the country, but instead led to them being destroyed by war? He can't be unaware of the very brutal nature, from the top to the bottom, of the dictatorship he supported -- by his own account of Kuroda's arrest, he was naive at the time, but that incident if nothing else had to wise him up. Most people would call that regime not just "mistaken" but morally wrong. I'm not sure whether Ono sees that -- sure, he personally didn't do any of the bad stuff (by his own account he didn't intend to have Kuroda arrested), but he accepts that he was an integral part of it, so therefore he flinches from condemning the moral wrong of the regime he was part of, I think. He's more interested in analyzing why he did what he did. With that context, the optimism of the last chapter is shadowed a little.

But I think I see what gives Ono cause for optimism. He has been talking about how much satisfaction it gives him that he always did what he thought he should do at the time, that he lived up to his own ambitions. The cause that he put his energy in the service of is now condemned, but he says (I think) that that doesn't really matter -- it was doing his best, in itself, that was important, not what in particular he worked for. He sees the young generation with many of the same drives, but in a very different context. He thinks they may achieve great things -- their striving is one constant in a world that is rapidly becoming completely unfamiliar to him.

Do you share Ono's (and, perhaps, Ishiguro's) universalism? I for one don't know. (less)

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Apr 04, 2010 Jeff Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japanese-fiction, world-war-ii

Artist

I went into this book a bit blindly. I love the author's work so I picked this one up, not knowing the main crux of the work. Ishiguro even hides it's purpose until three-quarters of the way into the book. He is such a great writer though and his endings are always fabulous.

It's the first book that I have read that involves Japanese guilt over World War II. Of course, the main character, a famous artist, doesn't think anyone should feel guilty of anything. It's a story of youth and regret....more

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About Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro (カズオ・イシグロ or 石黒一雄) is a British novelist of a Japanese origin. His family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing course in 1980. He became a British citizen in 1982. He now lives in London.

Ishiguro received the 1989 Man Booker prize for his third novel...more

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“…It’s hard to appreciate the beauty of a world when one doubts its very validity….But I’ve long since lost all such doubts, Ono,’ he continued. ‘When I am an old man, when I look back over my life and see I have devoted it to the task of capturing the unique beauty of that world, I believe I will be well satisfied. And no man will make me believe I’ve wasted my time.” — 9 people liked it

“An artist's concern is to capture beauty wherever he finds it.” — 4 people liked it

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