A review by oofym
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

An Artist of the floating world was my first foray into Kazuo Ishiguro’s works and well; I liked it. I find this era of Japan very interesting to explore, in fact it’s why I liked “The Setting Sun” by Osamu Dazai so much. However Ishiguro is exploring it in a very different way in this novel, the protagonist is an elderly man called Masuji Ono that seems to be stuck in this strange middle ground between feeling regret for what he contributed to Japan’s nationalism, and also feeling a sense of pride and honour in it at the same time. This novel focuses heavily on trivialities and uncertain memories, it’s very slow paced, but that does add to the melancholic nostalgia the story emits. Like I said this is the first book I’ve read by Kazuo Ishiguro so I’m not sure if this is a trademark of his or not, nevertheless I noticed that the dialogue was very circular, characters essentially repeat their statements over and over again while slowly making ground, it’s like a chess game where the goal is to eliminate pawns rather than achieve a quick checkmate. Whether you like this style of dialogue or not is complete personal opinion and I find myself falling somewhere in the middle, I think it works sometimes, other times it feels tedious; either way it contributes further to the story’s slow pace. 

I really loved how the characters are presented, there’s something very human about the way they act and think. Despite most of the novel taking place is Ono’s head, the people who he interacts with really take on a life of their own; and to accomplish that while still keeping events rather mundane is a tricky art to pull off, so respect to Ishiguro for doing so. 

In terms of writing style, I don’t have much to criticize, although I also don’t have much to enthusiastically appraise either; descriptively it’s beautiful in moments but subdued enough to never really make you go “Wow” like other author's prose can. (Of course this is all just my opinion, as any review is.) There is something special here however, and perhaps I’m just not quite mature enough to see the restrained artistry in it, in fact I almost know I’m not, this is certainly a book I know I’d feel closer to if I read it again when I’m much older. I saw one reviewer describe the feeling of reading it as “Soft mist rising from the pages”, and I think that’s a lovingly apt analogy. 

The theme of the story and the implied meaning is a delicate one, I really love Ishiguro for not providing a solid answer on whether we should lament or appraise Ono’s actions, instead it’s a grey area. On one hand Ono quite possibly contributed to Japan’s growing zealous nationalism and he could have inspired young men to chuck away their lives in the war. On the other hand, he understands what he did in the past was probably not for the best, but he was also only doing what seemed right at the time, doing what his culture and society expected of him. As a young man he held lofty hopes for his art and his country, the last thing he wanted was to be mediocre, he needed to pursue something greater, even if there was a risk involved. As he himself puts it: “When one holds convictions deeply enough, there surely comes a point when it is despicable to prevaricate further.” Following that up with: “If one has failed only where others have not had the courage or will to try, there is a consolation- indeed, a deep satisfaction- to be gained from this observation when looking back over one’s life.” 

What this all gets me thinking about is something I've found on my mind on numerous occasions in the past; what is normal and accepted now that in fifty years time my children or grandchildren will disparage and tell me off for? It seems nuts to me to hold someone from a different time, society and culture to the exact social conventions of the current year, we like to laugh at our elders for things they thought were normal during their day, but there will inevitably come a day when our youth laugh and criticize us. To me, this novel perfectly exemplifies the best way to go about things as a person from a bygone time; reflect and truly engage in self-introspection. There will undoubtedly be things the youth are correct on, as Ono realises, but there will also be things that there is no need to persecute yourself over. Like hauling up a medieval peasant and telling him off for believing in king and country, it’s a pointless and far too morally righteous position to hold. 

At the end of the day, like many things, the most “correct” answer to this dilemma lies somewhere in the middle. Don’t feel self-guilt to the point where you literally take your own life as an apology to others, (As people around Ono do) but also don’t refuse to feel any regret at all. Reflect, correct and move on.