Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary novelists.  

Born in Nagasaki, Japan, he moved to the UK as a child, an experience that coloured his perspective and would later influence his writing. He is the author of eight novels and has been nominated for the Booker Prize a total of five times. It was his third novel, The Remains of the Day, that cemented his reputation. It won the Booker Prize in 1989, and from there, Ishiguro went on to explore genres including fantasy and science fiction. 

His body of work explores memory, time and the complexities of human nature, and is characterised by his signature restraint. In 2017, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his novels ‘of great emotional force’. His books have since been translated into more than 50 languages.

Ishiguro’s most recent novel, Klara and the Sun, is set in a future shaped by artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. It explores the boundaries between human and machine through Klara, an android designed as a companion for a child. As she develops her own ideas about love and morality, the distinction between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred. The book was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021 and will come to the big screen in October in an adaptation directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega.

From a reading guide and extract to a ‘where to start’ guide on the author, find out more about our September Monthly Spotlight here.