“In novels of great emotional force, (Mr. Ishiguro) has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”
—The Nobel Committee for Literature
Author Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his novel The Remains of the Day, won the 2017 Nobel Literature Prize on October 5, the Swedish Academy said.
Ishiguro, 64, was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to the United Kingdom when he was just five years old. After graduating from the University of Kent with a degree in English and Philosophy, Ishiguro went on to study Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Shortly after graduating, he published his first novel, A Pale View of the Hills, in 1982 which launched a long and illustrious career in writing that has spanned 35 years.His most renowned novel, The Remains of the Day (1989), was turned into successful film with Anthony Hopkins as the butler Stevens.The themes Ishiguro is most associated with are: memory, time, and self-delusion. Ishiguro has written eight books, as well as scripts for film and television.
With the dystopian work Never Let Me Go (2005), Ishiguro introduced a cold undercurrent of science fiction into his work. His latest novel, The Buried Giant (2015) explores how memory relates to oblivion, history to the present, and fantasy to reality.
Weeks of speculation and buzz about the Academy’s pick for 2017 ended on October 5, when its permanent secretary Sara Danius announced the winner. The Swedish Academy stunned the world in 2016 when it awarded the Nobel Literature Prize to US counter-culture icon and rock star Bob Dylan.
The first singer-songwriter to win the prestigious prize, the rock legend didn’t comment on his Nobel for several weeks and then snubbed the formal prize ceremony in Stockholm.
The Academy is known for its cloak-and-dagger methods to prevent any leaks, resorting to code names for authors and fake book covers when reading in public.Of the 114 laureates honoured since the prize was first awarded to France's Sully Prudhomme in 1901, only 14 are women.
But the Academy insists it doesn't take gender into consideration, nor nationality, language or genre for that matter.
“The gender balance among those who have received the prize is embarrassing” and the Swedish Academy must be aware of it, Rakel Chukri, the cultural editor of regional daily Sydsvenskan, had told AFP.
Pundits therefore tried to dissect the Academy’s latest interests to guess the winner, while punters had a field day on betting sites. On October 4, novelists Haruki Murakami of Japan and Ngugi wa Thiong'o of Kenya had the lowest odds on numerous sites.
They were followed by Canada’s Margaret Atwood, whose novel The Handmaid’s Tale was recently made into a well-received TV series, and Israel’s Amos Oz.