An Artist of the Floating World

Name: An Artist of the Floating World
ISBN: 9787532754373

Kazuo Ishiguro / 马爱农Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaJul 2015

4.2

Word count: 106K words
Chapters: 5
ISBN: 9787532754373

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Summary

The novel unfolds through the protagonist's recollections, bringing his memories and reflections to life with consummate narrative skill, in a style at once understated and allusive, leaving much for the reader to savor. The protagonist was once a celebrated painter of the floating world. Only with Japan's defeat in the Second World War does he awake, as if from a long dream: he sees that the entire Japanese nation had been devoting itself to an absurd and illusory ideal, and that his own artistic ideal—true to its name—was utterly without foundation, insubstantial and adrift in the world.

Editor's review

Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist of the Floating World is a delicate and profound masterpiece that, through the recollections of a former militarist propaganda painter in postwar Japan, explores the intricate relationships between the individual and history, memory and responsibility, and art and politics. This book is not a grand war narrative but focuses on the inner world of the protagonist, Masuji Ono, using his self-examination and retrospection in his later years to show how personal ideals were swept up and distorted by the currents of the times, and the moral dilemmas and spiritual wounds that followed. Ishiguro's signature unreliable narration is employed here with consummate skill: the protagonist's memories are blurred and full of self-justification, leaving readers to piece together the truth between the lines—a reading experience that is itself a profound reflection on the nature of memory. The style is restrained and inward, the emotion controlled yet turbulent beneath the surface, and beneath the calm narration lie enormous emotional tension and philosophical speculation. It is not merely a story about Japan's postwar social transformation but a parable of universal significance about how we face our own past mistakes and how we find a place to belong in a changing world. This edition, published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House and translated by the veteran translator Ma Ainong, is precise and fluent, conveying well the original's subtle and elegant literary texture. For readers who seek literary depth and appreciate psychological portrayal and historical reflection, this book offers extraordinarily rich layers of reading and lasting resonance.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of literary fiction who value psychological depth and the exploration of human nature
Readers interested in Japan's postwar social and cultural transformation and historical reflection
Readers who appreciate modern fictional techniques such as restraint, the art of leaving blanks, and unreliable narration
Contemplative readers who hope to glimpse historical change and moral dilemma through individual destiny

Not a good fit for

Entertainment-oriented readers seeking strong plot, fast pacing, and dramatic conflict
Readers seeking clear historical conclusions or moral judgments

Reading tips

It is recommended to read in a relatively quiet environment, following the protagonist's slow, circuitous rhythm of recollection and savoring the subtle tension and emotional undercurrents between the lines.
You may pay attention to the contradictions and ambiguities in the protagonist's narration and consider the truth and self-deception hidden behind them; this is key to understanding the work.
After finishing, you might compare the protagonist's state of mind and circumstances before and after the war, and reflect on the relationship between art, responsibility, and the times, which may yield deeper insights.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
一九四八年十月
一九四九年四月
一九四九年十一月
一九五〇年六月

FAQ

What are the similarities and differences between this book and The Remains of the Day, for which Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize?

Both works use first-person retrospective narration, and both protagonists are elderly people trying to find meaning in their lives through review; both themes involve dignity, responsibility, and being out of step with the times. The differences are that An Artist of the Floating World is set in postwar Japan and more directly explores the artist's political responsibility and historical guilt, with a more specific cultural context, while The Remains of the Day is set in an English country house and focuses on the emotional repression and personal sacrifice of a professional butler. Both are exemplary works in which Ishiguro explores memory and self-deception.

Will lacking knowledge of Japanese history affect my reading?

Basically not. Although the novel is set in postwar Japan, Ishiguro's touch is highly internalized and universal; its core is the protagonist's inner conflict, moral anxiety, and memory predicament, which are common human emotions. The historical background serves more as a stage and catalyst for the protagonist's psychological activity, and the author has naturally integrated it into the narrative, so no specialized knowledge is needed to deeply appreciate the human struggle within.

What are the characteristics of Ma Ainong's translation?

Ma Ainong is a renowned Chinese literary translator, best known for translating J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Her translations are accurate, fluent, and elegant, and she is skilled at capturing the literary texture and emotional tone of the original. In her translation of An Artist of the Floating World, she handles well Ishiguro's restrained, controlled, and slightly English-inflected Japanese narration (the original was written in English); the Chinese expression is natural and apt, retaining the subtlety and complexity of the original while conforming to Chinese readers' reading habits, making it a trustworthy translation.

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About the author

Kazuo Ishiguro Author · British · 1954

Kazuo Ishiguro (born 1954) is a Japanese-British novelist. Born in Nagasaki, Japan, he moved to Britain with his family in 1960 and became a British citizen in 1982. He began publishing fiction in 1983, writing novels and short stories that often look back on memory and time in a restrained, understated style, revealing within calm narration how individual lives intertwine with historical change. His major works include A Pale View of Hills, An Artist of the Floating World, The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun; they are often classified as foreign literature and classics, and frequently touch on themes of social fiction. In 2017 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The library holds 26 of his works, reflecting the continued circulation of his Chinese translations and readers' interest.

马爱农 Author

Ma Ainong is a fairly active translator in the field of introducing foreign literature into Chinese, though public information about her is limited and a complete account of her life has not yet been disclosed. Judging from the nine works included in the collection, her translations cover a wide range: warm, luminous coming-of-age fiction such as Anne of Green Gables; serious literary works by E. M. Forster and Kazuo Ishiguro, including An Artist of the Floating World, with their quiet, reflective themes; and bilingual children's editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories as well as illustrated adaptations of Shakespeare's comedies. Her translations are generally plain and fluent, attentive to preserving the tone and narrative rhythm of the originals and suited to both adult and young readers, which is why her work appears across such categories as inspirational growth, mystery and detective fiction, and classic literature, offering Chinese readers accessible versions of English-language literature.