An Artist Of The Floating World

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Japanese Parallel to "The Remains of the Day"
Review: I read "An Artist of the Floating World" twice in one week, once in fascination and once more to explore the nuances and subtleties that characterize Kazuo Ishiguro's novels. This short work, Ishiguro's second novel, was short listed for the prestigious Booker Prize. Both a character study and an intriguing glimpse of pre-war Japan, in many ways it is a Japanese parallel to Ishiguro's highly successful third novel, "The Remains of the Day".

Ishiguro enjoys slowly revealing his characters through their recollection of events long past. The memories are often fragmented, sometimes hazy, someimes simply untrustworthy. In "An Artist of the Floating World" the situation is further complicated by the tendency of its protagonist, Masuji Ono, to misinterpret his own memories.

"An Artist of the Floating World" is a portrait as Masuji Ono saw himself, and as he believed that others saw him. It is three years after Japan's defeat and Ono is preoccupied with the negotiations around his younger daughter's proposed marriage. Last year Noriko's marriage negotiations with another young man were unexpectedly treminated by the groom's family. Almost without self-awareness, Ono begins to question whether his artistic support of the imperialistic movement in the thirties and during the war now places his daughter's prospects in jeopardy.

Although Ono sees himself as a modest man, he overstates the impact that his military and patriotic art had in conditioning the Japanese people for the impending imperialistic war effort. It is never quite clear just how popular and widespread his war posters actually were. In contrast, Ono seems incapable of recognizing the magnitude of his crime against his best student, Kuroda, whom he betrayed to the authorities. He rationalizes that Kuroda's years in prison now give him credibility in the new Japan and that he will fare well in the post-war period. He is even so naive as to believe that Kuroda might be persuaded to overlook the past and thus support, or at least not hinder, his daughter Noriko's ongoing marriage negotiations.

I highly recommend "An Artist of the Floating World" for readers either new to Kazuo Ishiguro or already familiar with his other novels. It is an intricate work of beauty.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Japanese Parallel to "The Remains of the Day"
Review: I read "An Artist of the Floating World" twice in one week, once in fascination and once more to explore the nuances and subtleties that characterize Kazuo Ishiguro's novels. This short work, Ishiguro's second novel, was short listed for the prestigious Booker Prize. Both a character study and an intriguing glimpse of pre-war Japan, in many ways it is a Japanese parallel to Ishiguro's highly successful third novel, "The Remains of the Day".

Ishiguro enjoys slowly revealing his characters through their recollection of events long past. The memories are often fragmented, sometimes hazy, someimes simply untrustworthy. In "An Artist of the Floating World" the situation is further complicated by the tendency of its protagonist, Masuji Ono, to misinterpret his own memories.

"An Artist of the Floating World" is a portrait as Masuji Ono saw himself, and as he believed that others saw him. It is three years after Japan's defeat and Ono is preoccupied with the negotiations around his younger daughter's proposed marriage. Last year Noriko's marriage negotiations with another young man were unexpectedly treminated by the groom's family. Almost without self-awareness, Ono begins to question whether his artistic support of the imperialistic movement in the thirties and during the war now places his daughter's prospects in jeopardy.

Although Ono sees himself as a modest man, he overstates the impact that his military and patriotic art had in conditioning the Japanese people for the impending imperialistic war effort. It is never quite clear just how popular and widespread his war posters actually were. In contrast, Ono seems incapable of recognizing the magnitude of his crime against his best student, Kuroda, whom he betrayed to the authorities. He rationalizes that Kuroda's years in prison now give him credibility in the new Japan and that he will fare well in the post-war period. He is even so naive as to believe that Kuroda might be persuaded to overlook the past and thus support, or at least not hinder, his daughter Noriko's ongoing marriage negotiations.

I highly recommend "An Artist of the Floating World" for readers either new to Kazuo Ishiguro or already familiar with his other novels. It is an intricate work of beauty.

Rating:
Summary: Human nature in a changing society
Review: I've only read two of Ishiguro's books, and both are about the same thing: an individual caught out by time, whose ideas and opinions were once mainstream but have become deeply unfashionable. In this case it is a Japanese artist who had favoured the (eventually) disastrous imperialist expansion of Japan that drew the country into the Second World War.

Among the themes explored are the nature of an intolerant, fascist (in the strictest sense of the word) society, and how it affects the people who live in it; the relationship between politics and other walks of life (art); and the pain and confusion of one person who is forced, ever so gradually, to admit that he was wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Delicate and Beautiful
Review: I've read all of Kazuo Ishiguro's books, and, while "The Remains of the Day" is my very favorite, this small book comes in a close second. It is delicate in its theme and narrative, yet its effects are quite lasting.

"An Artist of the Floating World" takes place in 1948 in a quiet town in Japan. The protagonist, Masuji Ono, once a moderately famous artist, enjoys spending his days mopping his tatami and working in his garden, although the highlight of his life are the visits from his grandson, Ichiro. As Ono enjoys his retirement from painting, he also takes the opportunity to look back on his life and reflect upon its meaning.

Ono's memories of the past are many; he has had a long journey from young, bohemian art student to retired, successful artist. In the 1930s, Ono took great pleasure in visiting the "red light" districts of Japan, but after his marriage, he settled down and devoted himself to his family and his painting.

Ono and his late wife had three children. Sadly, his only son died during the war. His loss still affects Ono greatly, as it always will. His elder daughter, Setsuko, the mother of Ichiro, is, from all appearances, happily married. His younger daughter, Neriko, has not been quite as successful where marriage is concerned. Her first marriage negotiations were broken off and she is now involved in a second attempt.

In one of the most intriguing sections of this book, Ishiguro describes the marriage negotiations that used to be routine in Japan. These negotiations are called a "miai" and involve what resembles a British high tea. First, the parents must be matched, as the two families involved must be within the same social and economic class. Once it has been decided that the parents of both the prospective bride and the prospective groom are a "fit," the couple is allowed to meet for the very first time. Only after everyone has given their stamp of approval can the actual wedding finally take place. Unfortunately, Neriko's first marriage negotiation failed when she was considered to be of a lower social class than her prospective bridegroom. Ono, who has a darker past than one might initially assume, is worried that it may possibly come to light and harm Neriko's marriage negotiations, causing them to fail for a second time.

Ono's musings take us back to World War II Japan, a time when all Japanese felt extremely patriotic and a time when any "wrong" action could cause one to be labelled a traitor. Ono, through his art, endeavored to help the cause of Japan in the war. Now, Ono, who lost his both his son and his wife in the war, feels he must reflect on his actions and decide what the consequences of them really were. Does he require forgiveness? If so, from whom? Is he being silly and pompous in believing that his art actually made a difference? Or is he thoughtful and reflective; a man who wants and needs to take responsibility for his actions? I really don't know and Ishiguro doesn't tell us, much to this book's credit. Sometimes, the things that aren't written are more important that the things that are written. As we get to know Ono, we come to experience imperial Japan. It is a heady and exotic experience and one I certainly wouldn't have wanted to miss.

Ishiguro, in my opinion, is one of the top five greatest living authors and a master of understatement and subtlety. Nowhere is this more evident that in his glorious book, "The Remains of the Day." "An Artist of the Floating World," however, has charms of its own. Ishiguro's prose is precise, with every word carefully chosen. In his writing, Ishiguro seems to resemble the miai, the very epitome of politeness and respect.

"An Artist of the Floating World" is a beautiful book and one that leaves a deep impression without seeming to do much at all.

Rating:
Summary: Delicate and Beautiful
Review: I've read all of Kazuo Ishiguro's books, and, while "The Remains of the Day" is my very favorite, this small book comes in a close second. It is delicate in its theme and narrative, yet its effects are quite lasting.

"An Artist of the Floating World" takes place in 1948 in a quiet town in Japan. The protagonist, Masuji Ono, once a moderately famous artist, enjoys spending his days mopping his tatami and working in his garden, although the highlight of his life are the visits from his grandson, Ichiro. As Ono enjoys his retirement from painting, he also takes the opportunity to look back on his life and reflect upon its meaning.

Ono's memories of the past are many; he has had a long journey from young, bohemian art student to retired, successful artist. In the 1930s, Ono took great pleasure in visiting the "red light" districts of Japan, but after his marriage, he settled down and devoted himself to his family and his painting.

Ono and his late wife had three children. Sadly, his only son died during the war. His loss still affects Ono greatly, as it always will. His elder daughter, Setsuko, the mother of Ichiro, is, from all appearances, happily married. His younger daughter, Neriko, has not been quite as successful where marriage is concerned. Her first marriage negotiations were broken off and she is now involved in a second attempt.

In one of the most intriguing sections of this book, Ishiguro describes the marriage negotiations that used to be routine in Japan. These negotiations are called a "miai" and involve what resembles a British high tea. First, the parents must be matched, as the two families involved must be within the same social and economic class. Once it has been decided that the parents of both the prospective bride and the prospective groom are a "fit," the couple is allowed to meet for the very first time. Only after everyone has given their stamp of approval can the actual wedding finally take place. Unfortunately, Neriko's first marriage negotiation failed when she was considered to be of a lower social class than her prospective bridegroom. Ono, who has a darker past than one might initially assume, is worried that it may possibly come to light and harm Neriko's marriage negotiations, causing them to fail for a second time.

Ono's musings take us back to World War II Japan, a time when all Japanese felt extremely patriotic and a time when any "wrong" action could cause one to be labelled a traitor. Ono, through his art, endeavored to help the cause of Japan in the war. Now, Ono, who lost his both his son and his wife in the war, feels he must reflect on his actions and decide what the consequences of them really were. Does he require forgiveness? If so, from whom? Is he being silly and pompous in believing that his art actually made a difference? Or is he thoughtful and reflective; a man who wants and needs to take responsibility for his actions? I really don't know and Ishiguro doesn't tell us, much to this book's credit. Sometimes, the things that aren't written are more important that the things that are written. As we get to know Ono, we come to experience imperial Japan. It is a heady and exotic experience and one I certainly wouldn't have wanted to miss.

Ishiguro, in my opinion, is one of the top five greatest living authors and a master of understatement and subtlety. Nowhere is this more evident that in his glorious book, "The Remains of the Day." "An Artist of the Floating World," however, has charms of its own. Ishiguro's prose is precise, with every word carefully chosen. In his writing, Ishiguro seems to resemble the miai, the very epitome of politeness and respect.

"An Artist of the Floating World" is a beautiful book and one that leaves a deep impression without seeming to do much at all.

Rating:
Summary: An Embarrassed Silence at the Tojo Memorial Tea Party
Review: If you are passionate about your beliefs and if you live long enough, you, too, can be like Ishiguro's Masuji Ono: Cast adrift by the next generation, who reacts to your past triumphs with embarrassed silence.

The beliefs about which Ono was most passionate, however, revolve around his advocacy of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere of the military clique that invaded Pearl Harbor. As an art advisor to the government, he turns in his most talented pupil Kuroda to the police, who torture him before releasing him. For most of the book, Ishiguro delicately reveals in minute increments the truth about Ono's involvement in the past regime and its effect on his life.

What begins as irony softens as the novel comes to an end and we finally discover the worst is over. Ono has survived. Many of his friends have not. "Ripeness is all." The floating world of the title refers to the sweet life of bars and geishas as shown by such Japanese painters as Utamaro, but here also takes on another meaning. Whether one had followed Hitler or Pinochet or Franco or Tojo, the world is full of survivors who floated through their lives taking on the coloration of their milieu.

Ishiguro paints with delicate strokes, but there is congealed blood on his palette.

Rating:
Summary: More People Should Read This
Review: Ishiguro has not written many books, but this, his second effort, is his best. In the first years of post-war Japan, a time of mind-bending social change in Japan, the narrator is hoping to marry off one of his daughters - but there are difficulties that he is hard-pressed to explain. In the book's early pages (flashbacks to the prewar days) the narrator is the picture of the success: He is an artist, someone who has made a reputation creating posters and other propaganda pieces for the Imperial Japanese government. This history slowly comes to light in the narrative. The theme of the novel, and the force that propels the plot, is the narrator's reckoning.

Like most Ishiguro books, this book is written in the first person personal, with an unreliable narrator: It is Ishiguro's very own form, and a winning way to write a novel. Those who have read "The Remains of the Day" will recognize it.

I think that is one of the best novels that I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Boredom in Japan?
Review: Ishiguro is a master at impregnating ordinary situations with tension. He does that in this book as well, but ultimately, there wasn't very much to be tense about. This earlier work is not nearly as successful as his later efforts.

Rating:
Summary: complexity unraveled with a gentle hand
Review: Ishiguro is a master of subtlety and subdued emotions. His leading characters seem to wear a Japanese Noh mask to conceal deep-rooted trauma. Such restrained emotions work especially well where the leading characters are Japanese since, of course, Japanese people are known for their restraint (in order to harmonize with others). Ishiguro uses this methodology to glorious effect with this novel's complex story of an artist who lives much of his adult life through a very turbulent era in Japan (1930-1950). In time, piece by piece, he reconciles the changes in society, lifestyle, his family and, lastly, himself.

As an added benefit, Ishiguro does a brilliant job in capturing the mood, scenery, and feeling of post-war Japan. The carnage of the war transcended every aspect of the country and its people. But miraculously, Ishiguro paints this picture with an optimistic (yet not rose-colored) flair which gives the book an uplifting feel.

I think An Artist of the Floating World will appeal especially to older readers. Surviving the war, the rath of youthful "know-it-all"s and criticism of one's peers is an inspiration.

Rating:
Summary: Precision and perception
Review: Ishiguro's "An Artist Of the Floating World" is an intricately-layered series of remembrances from a man recently retired after civilian service in the Second World War. During the ascendancy of his career, he had been schooled in an aesthetic referred to by his master in painting as the art of the "floating world", an aesthetic of lightness and enjoyment, yet as a discipline was nevertheless enforced with scolding strictness. As the protagonist recalls his life, the raising of his children, the growth of his career, the emergence of his own aesthetic, all in the context of the war's buildup and aftermath, Ishiguro patiently, quietly paints a portrait of the man's sense of pride, of accomplishment, of loss, love for his wife and daughters, and pathos always underneath, conveying a sense of identification with events monumental and intimate, all without wasting a word. Once I finished "An Artist Of the Floating World", I immediately read it again, just to savor the economy of the writing and to marvel at its construction